Wings Made Of Words
by DoctorOfMoonlite
Summary: When Konoha's finest Ivy, Hidden Leaf University, waitlists Sakura Haruno, the lonely senior finds herself volunteering on a suicide hotline. A recurring visitor slowly starts to give Sakura something else to live for—although it could ultimately cost Sakura and her rekindled friendships their lives. Rated for drug use, self-harm, and suicide. AU
1. Airplanes

**Wings Made Of Words**

Chapter 1: Airplanes

A/N: I thought of this story today while volunteering for an online hotline. I hope everyone likes it. I understand that typically, volunteers are and should be over eighteen years old, but for the sake of the premise of the story, I flubbed the rules a bit and allowed a somewhat realistic opening that would allow this story to take place.

* * *

"_Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now." _

"What do you _mean_? Look, Koharu, Sakura Haruno has a 3.7 grade point average, a 2150 SAT score and a—I don't care that she's slightly below the average! All of her teachers covet her and she has more passion for medicine than any high school student I've known. How in the world did she get deferred into Hidden Leaf University's early admissions program?!" Tsunade barked on the phone, slamming her first on her oak desk several times.

Sakura Haruno cringed. She held the slightly wrinkled letter against her chest, clutching it as if it would slip away from her; much like her future was slowly falling out of her fingers like sand. The first thing Sakura did upon reaching the large doors of Konohagakure (or more affectionately known as Konoha) High School was rap the door of her principal and mentor, Tsunade. It had taken Tsunade a mere glance at Sakura's tear-stricken face and at the crumpled letter in the pink-haired girl's fist to know what happened.

"Volunteering? Koharu, you can't seriously tell me that Hidden Leaf University is going to turn a girl away because she would rather spend time studying than—no, I am not going to hold for a moment! I know you'll hang up on me, and your snotty secretary will ignore the phone for thirty minutes! Yes, I timed it last time!" Tsunade continued to argue with the Dean of Admissions on the phone. Sakura dropped her head back, letting the strands of her pink hair fall behind the comfortable chair.

Her parents, like usual, weren't home when Sakura had woken up that morning. Mebuki Haruno, Sakura's mother, was gone in the morning, possibly at the gym or getting a manicure. She had a big presentation at the PTA that evening and then she also had to meet several potential donors for the several non-profit groups Mebuki chaired. Sakura only knew of her plans when she heard her talking to a friend on the phone.

Kizashi Haruno was also missing from home. Sakura never knew exactly where he was, but presumably he would stumble back into the house and take a nap. For years, Sakura thought he worked odd hours of the day, but Sakura eventually deduced that he simply stayed out at odd hours to avoid interacting with his wife. On the rare occasion that he would see Sakura, he would smile and talk to her before tripping back into his room and passing out on his bed.

Tsunade's angry yelling was amplified by the slight haze of hunger Sakura felt. She dug her nails into her palm, hoping to focus back on reality. Sure, she had eaten a small breakfast, but there were more important matters at hand, such as her future.

"Fine, Koharu. By March, Sakura's resume is going to stun you. You better hope that when it gets sent to you, you'll bump her out of the waitlist and into your class or I swear even Hiruzen will hear my protests—what do you mean that I have no shame talking about the late principal? What about your shame, rejecting a perfect applicant to your school?" Tsunade then angrily slammed the phone back into the receiver, taking a deep breath afterward. She leaned forward slightly and held her forehead in between her hands, sighing wistfully.

"Sorry, Sakura. I'm going to do my best to get you in." Tsunade finally smiled, scribbling a tardy note for Sakura to be let into her first period class. Sakura politely thanked her and then made her way to her advanced placement biology class. It was taught by Ms. Shizune: Tsunade's closest friend and Sakura's favorite teacher.

"Sakura!" Shizune smiled upon seeing her favorite student enter her classroom that was currently occupied by students, half of whom were napping or sending text messages on their phones. When Sakura's name was called, several students turned and snickered, vague whispers sounding like "forehead girl" floating around the room. Sakura huddled her books closer to her chest and took her seat beside her best friend: Hinata Hyuga.

"H-Hey," Hinata whispered weakly, smiling at Sakura, "D-Did you get your letter today?" Sakura gave her best radiant smile to hide the growing breakdown Sakura was feeling in her chest.

"Yeah." Sakura breathed, afraid of the next question. Instead of mustering up the courage to answer it, Sakura gently shoved the nearly torn letter that had been pushed in between her textbook and her notebook toward the shy girl.

"S-Sakura…" Hinata gasped after reading the letter. She turned to Sakura sadly, but Sakura shrugged. While a part of her wanted to scream and yell and throw chairs across the room, one part of her wanted to accept the fact that she was going to be stuck with all of the deadbeats of Konoha High at the poorly rated Jinchuriki Community College.

"Let's just try and remember that you got into Kumogakure's nursing program!" Sakura trilled, feigning a jubilant giggle to get the attention off of her own failure to get into her dream school. Shizune's worried glance during her lecture failed to get pass Sakura, leaving Sakura no choice but to repeat the story of her failure to Shizune.

"So, I'm, like, deciding between Kumogakure or Iwagakure! Kumnogakure has a coastline, hot springs, and mountains. Iwagakure only has mountains and stones." Sakura heard someone lamenting. Unsurprisingly, it was the It-Girl of Konoha: Ino Yamanaka. With long, blonde hair and a protruding asset on her chest, Ino dominated the Konoha social ladder. Unfortunately, unlike many villains, Ino was also intelligent. She had been accepted into almost all of the nursing programs across the nation, partly due to her family's share in the Yamanaka Flower Empire. The Yamanaka Flower Empire was a giant corporation that had floral shops, apothecaries, and pharmacies across the nation.

Once upon a time, Sakura and Ino had been friends. But during one particular fight over some boy, Sakura had punched Ino's nose and broken it. While Ino made it her mission then to ruin Sakura, she also used the opportunity to get a nose job and to continue her tyranny over Sakura.

"That sounds troublesome. I only applied to one school for a reason." Sakura heard Ino's friend, Shikamaru Nara, groan. Surprisingly, Ino's best friends now included the lazy, pothead genius, Shikamaru, and the gluttonous and temperamental Choji Akimichi. While the trio certainly had bonded because their fathers had been best friends, what really stuck them together was Ino's ability to control them for their individual traits that helped them all mutually.

"You must be so relieved that Hidden Village accepted you. No more worrying for you!" Sakura heard Ino giggle. Sakura's fists tightened as she stared at Shikamaru who lazily laid on his desk. Hinata seemed to have heard too, turning to Sakura.

"You know, I could talk to Neji and see if he knows anyone who could help you with the waitlist." Hinata tried to help, but Sakura looked away, blinking away the hot, painful tears that were threatening to scar her face again.

"S'okay." Sakura managed to croak out, sniffing slightly. She held her head between her fingers, groaning inwardly. When Shizune started quizzing the class on her lecture, people started to gasp and quickly started to shuffle through their disorganized pile of notes for answers.

"Sakura," Shizune pointed at the pink-haired girl who looked as if she would rather be back at home, "outline how phagocytic leucocytes ingest pathogens in the blood and body tissues." Sakura heard several people giggle immaturely at the word "phagocytic" and ignored them; why in the world would they ever sign up for an advanced biology class?

"Phagocytes are found in the blood, and they ingest pathogens. They do so by recognizing pathogens and engulfing them by endocytosis. Enzymes within the phagocytes, called lysosomes, then digest the pathogens. Phagocytes can ingest pathogens in the blood, and also within body tissue as they can pass through the pores of capillaries and into these tissues." Sakura lazily drawled out, refusing to lift her head off the desk. Several people gawked at her, and the familiar whispering song of "forehead girl"

"Good, Sakura," Shizune smiled, "I'm so glad that you actually listened to my lecture." Sakura blushed slightly. She had simply done the reading beforehand and knew the material. But she didn't mind leading Shizune on with the belief that Sakura had actually managed to make it through her lecture.

"I bet her forehead is so big because she has a mutant brain to hold in all that information." Sakura heard someone whisper and immediately turning her head, she caught class-clown Naruto Uzumaki chuckling alongside his friends.

"Idiot, that makes no sense." Shikamaru groaned again, as if he was in pain. Perhaps Naruto's stupidity could cause a form of pain, Sakura thought bitterly.

"Oh, Naruto," Shizune smiled sweetly, "since you're so interested in brains, would you mind summarizing the process of synaptic transmission?" Naruto looked as if he had seen a ghost and immediately mumbled something about how he wasn't supposed to be in a foreign language class. Ino snorted in amusement and raised her hand.

"Miss Shizune," Sakura could have sworn that Ino flashed her eyes dangerously at Sakura, "isn't synaptic transmission where the plasma membrane of the signal passing neuron, or the presynaptic neuron, becomes closely related to the plasma membrane of the target cell, the postsynaptic neuron? Then, between the two there is a narrow fluid filled space called the synaptic cleft and the chemical signals called neurotransmitters pass from the presynaptic neuron to the post synaptic neuron. Is that right?" Ino smiled widely, once again darting her eyes and meeting Sakura's for a brief moment.

"Of course she had to show off," Sakura muttered beneath her breath. A vivid image of Ino's nose cracking filled Sakura's mind before the bell rang, leaving Sakura to her next class.

* * *

"A suicide hotline? Tsunade, Shizune, you have to be kidding me!" Sakura cried out when she was called back into the principal's office for the second time that day. She crossed her arms angrily. It wasn't that she was lazy, but she was expecting a clinical position or lab work. Talking to upset people was not Sakura's forte by any means.

"Come on, Sakura," Shizune smiled as she stood close to Tsunade, "it'll be fun. I'm a supervisor for it, and you really meet a lot of inspiring people." Sakura watched the two closely. She knew that Shizune was Tsunade's late boyfriend's niece, thereby creating their tight bond. Tsunade had been a promising medical student until her boyfriend was suddenly attacked in the middle of one of their dates by a throng of thugs. When her boyfriend was dying in front of her, Tsunade suddenly developed a phobia of blood and dropped out of medical school a week later. Shizune had told Sakura that, while Tsunade probably could have been the best doctor in the nation, she instead chose to focus on kids to mold them for the future.

"Why can't I volunteer in the emergency room with Shizune?" Sakura whined, desperately pleading to do something she actually cared about. It wasn't that she had anything against suicidal people—other than the fact that she believed suicide was selfish—but how would a suicide hotline procure her spot into an Ivy League?

"Sakura, it's a great opportunity. It's online, and Shizune can be online too and help guide you through it. It'll take some training, but you can do it. Besides, you can still volunteer with Shizune at the emergency room." Tsunade pointed out, clicking her pen by accident as she spoke.

"Okay, well why the suicide hotline then?" Sakura retorted, pressing her hands into the armrests. She would rather save a patient than save someone who so desperately wanted to kill themselves.

"Well, we need more volunteers," Shizune sheepishly answered, "and how many high school students do you know could attest to the fact that they've saved lives by helping someone get through some mental distress?" Sakura groaned again, knowing that she was outnumbered in this argument.

In a matter of few hours, Sakura had gone from promising pre-medical student at an Ivy League institution to a computer-prisoned volunteer forced to help selfish people get it through their thick skulls that they needed to live.

* * *

After a week of grueling, accelerated training, Sakura had managed to finish forty hours of training in a matter of seven days. To make matters worse, Shizune was the supervisor for the graveyard shift that month, and Sakura was forced to be tethered to her. While her house was eerily silent, Sakura sat against her headboard with her laptop placed on her lap, watching a bright screen.

The online suicide hotline was designed neatly. There was a chat box in the middle of the page, a queue beside the box to the right that displayed how many people were waiting to be talked to, and a list of online volunteers and supervisors on the left.

Sakura had learned the rules easily. The conversation was to be divided into three parts: the listening phase where Sakura listened to the digital caller, the toolbox phase where Sakura provided some other options to the caller, and a wrap-up phase where Sakura was to summarize their conversation and wish the caller the best. It seemed simple enough.

One of the other rules included that Sakura was to preserve anonymity—for her and for the caller. Thus, when the caller would enter the chat, they would have the username 'Anonymous' while Sakura had her personal username: 'Blossom328.' Her name partly drew inspiration from the translation of her name, and from her birthday.

Suddenly, Sakura heard a loud ringing noise. When she looked at her screen, she saw a pop-up window with a chat from Shizune.

**SupervisorShizune:** Sakura, a caller's on the queue. Do you feel ready to take this call?

Sakura groaned. She had trained extensively and was ready, but a part of her still wanted to not do this. She hated talking about depression and suicide. Inwardly, Sakura hoped she did so bad that Shizune would ask her not to come back. After all, if she could screw up Hidden Village University, she could probably screw up this too.

**Blossom328:** Yeah, I'm ready.

Sakura then clicked the button to take a caller into her chatbox. As the chat loaded, Sakura settled herself into her bed. She hoped the caller would suddenly realize how selfish they were being and would then end the chat and let Sakura go to sleep.

**Anonymous:** Hey.

"Wow," Sakura giggled, "is this a suicide hotline or an instant messaging conversation." Suddenly realizing how uncouth she sounded, Sakura cleared her throat as if someone had heard her and prepared herself to type.

**Blossom328:** Hello. Before we begin, I would like to check in on some safety information. Would that be alright?

Sakura had learned that the hotline had to give the same starting conversation to everyone to ensure that they were in a safe place and that they had a secure connection. Shizune, during her training, had given Sakura horror story where a caller had been using a connection that could remotely be seen by their parent and when the parent saw the transcript of the conversation, they ended up abusing their child enough to land them in the emergency room. Shizune had put two and two together based on the caller's description of the abuse and alerted child services when she volunteered at the emergency room that next morning.

**Anonymous:** Hn.

Sakura blinked. Was that an affirmation? Taking it as one, she continued.

**Blossom328:** Just in case you get disconnected, I encourage you to go back into the queue. If you need immediate services, I would recommend that you call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 and receive treatment there. Now, are you in a safe place?

Sakura waited for the caller's answer, drumming on her laptop's keyboard as she waited.

**Anonymous:** Hn.

Again with the weird response? Sakura had half a mind to lambast the caller for their weird affirmations. Sakura took a deep breath and reached for her coffee. Clearly she was cranky enough to have an argument with a caller who used two letters to affirm something.

**Blossom328:** Good. Do you have any questions about the connection and safe usage of the service's technology?

**Anonymous:** No.

Sakura cringed again. Was she about to enter a conversation with someone who only used one word answers? She was not prepared for this at all.

**Blossom328:** Alright. Thanks for reviewing this safety information with me. Would you like to discuss what brought you online today?

Sakura waited again, half-expecting a one-worded answer. She could mentally feel Shizune's eyes on the conversation, although Sakura couldn't blame her: she was the only volunteer online and this was the only active chat.

**Anonymous:** I want to kill myself to end the pain. It's not worth it anymore.

That was longer than Sakura expected. Straightening her stiff back, Sakura hesitated for a moment, hovering her fingers above her keyboard before typing.

**Blossom328:** Would you mind telling me about the pain, so I can better understand your situation?

Shizune had taught her to not directly ask someone what was happening, but to try and get a better understanding of their situation. After all, they were not licensed professionals but instead well-wishing volunteers with an extra ear to listen (or really, an extra eye to read).

**Anonymous:** I'm tired of school, of people, of everything. I actually don't feel pain anymore unless I inflict it upon myself. I just feel like I should have been gone too and it's not fair for me to still be alive.

Well, Sakura was not expecting a case of survivor's guilt. As if Shizune could read Sakura's mind, their conversation lit up.

**SupervisorShizune:** Sakura, ask him if he has anything sharp near him now. If he does, try and reason with him to do his best to not use it during your chat with him.

**Blossom328:** Got it.

Sakura took a deep breath before typing.

**Blossom328:** Thanks for clarifying. Before I go any further, do you have anything sharp near you? I just want to make sure you're not in any imminent danger.

**Anonymous:** No.

**Blossom328:** Good. So why do you feel that you should been gone too?

**Anonymous:** That accident was probably meant to kill me too.

Sakura blinked a few times to make sure she was actually reading it correctly. She instantly messaged Shizune, confused as to what to do.

**SupervisorShizune:** Wow, they clearly have some guilt. Keep on trying to find and opening.

Sakura nodded as if Shizune had given her verbal instructions and began typing to the stranger who was probably staring at the screen as if it was a lifeline.

**Blossom328:** Why do you think that accident was meant to kill you too?

**Anonymous:** I know it. He told me.

**Blossom328:** Would you feel comfortable telling me who he is?

**Anonymous:** My brother. Lol.

For some reason, Sakura felt a nasty venom hiding behind that acronym. She was pretty much sure that the caller was not actually laughing out loud. Before she could respond, the caller responded again.

**Anonymous:** He told me that he wanted to keep me alive, as if I was his toy.

**Blossom328:** I'm sorry to hear that you're in this difficult situation.

**Anonymous:** ….wow.

**Blossom328:** Yes?

**Anonymous:** You're not telling me that you understand my pain?

**Blossom328:** I can't lie to you and pretend like I know how you're feeling. I understand that it's difficult, but that's about it.

Sakura winced as she read over her words for the fifth time. The caller had not replied for several minutes, and although Shizune was assuaging her that she was doing fine, Sakura could not help but feel that she had somehow stabbed the caller's ego, as if the caller had come online, prepared to yell at some poor volunteer for trying to empathize with their bizarre situation.

**Anonymous:** Sorry, I had to go and vomit.

**Blossom328:** What?! Are you okay?!

**Anonymous:** I'm drunk.

"Oh." Sakura thought. She was not surprised, but she wasn't expecting that either. It made Sakura hope that perhaps the caller was not really a blunt and distant person while sober.

**Anonymous:** You want to know a secret?

Before Sakura could reply, the caller replied again.

**Anonymous:** I lied to you. I just cut myself again.

Bastard. Sakura rolled her eyes as she prepared her message.

**Blossom328:** While I cannot condone or chastise any of your actions, I must ask you to put down the razor and focus on our conversation. Please?

**Anonymous:** Hn.

**Blossom328:** So why did you drink tonight?

**Anonymous:** I couldn't handle it. Why don't you try living in a foster home with a bunch of annoying kids, knowing that you don't actually belong there and knowing that you were kept alive just as a punishment?

**Blossom328:** I must ask you to calm down, please.

**Anonymous:** You will never understand how I feel. I'm fucking alone, I have no real friends, and I hate myself. Any potential I had was robbed from me, and now I'm going to become a deadbeat.

Sakura felt something crack inside of her, equivalent to the pain of a rib cracking. Re-reading that line from the caller made Sakura feel the blistering, hot sensation of tears threatening to fall. She was in the same boat: other than Hinata, Tsunade, and Shizune, she was alone. Hinata had already been accepted into a college far from her, and Tsunade and Shizune couldn't be there forever. While she was fortunate to have such loving guardians, Sakura could not help but envy Ino's close circle of friends and Naruto's seemingly ever-growing popularity. Sakura had emotionally distant parents who were too involved in their own war to notice the casualty they were causing on their own daughter, who had been reduced to collateral. Sakura's dreams had been snatched from her with her waitlisted letter from Hidden Village, and she was destined to probably also become a deadbeat. Slowly starting to type, Sakura started:

**Blossom328:** I…I can understand—

_Anonymous has ended the chat._

She had not even finished typing when the caller ended their chat. Sakura ignored Shizune's instant message and grabbed several tissues, dabbing at her eyes. Turning on the lights in her private bathroom, Sakura heaved above the sink and glanced at herself in the mirror.

Why did that affect her so much?! Why did this anonymous stranger identify with her feelings so well in one simple phrase? Sakura closed her eyes again, tightening her muscles as if she was experiencing a bout of pain. The feeling of loneliness and sadness was becoming so overwhelming that Sakura was almost having trouble breathing.

She was a senior in high school, and she was not about to have a random stranger change her life. Sakura opened her eyes and looked again in the mirror. No longer did Sakura see the young, meek girl who had entered Tsunade's office one winter afternoon, pleading to be given some sort of extra help after having failed her chemistry course, freshman year. Sakura saw the strong, courageous girl who was going to be going to college as a pre-medical student: the principal's favorite student.

Sakura looked in the mirror once more before turning off the lights. She had complained and whined so much about volunteering on the suicide hotline, but suddenly her cheeks burned with shame.

Who was she to call that caller selfish when they identified with almost every feeling Sakura had ever felt? Who was she to act as if suicide was selfish when only two weeks ago, Sakura had nearly succeeded with taking her life until someone had intervened?

Chuckling to herself, Sakura could already see what others would think about her if they knew, for it was utterly true:

Sakura Haruno was a complete hypocrite.


	2. The One That Got Away

**Wings Made Of Words**

Chapter 2: The One That Got Away

A/N: So I had a bit of dark humor with the title and theme song of this chapter. Let's just say that the following quote can be about a boy, but also how a certain pink-haired protagonist may be feeling about a certain situation. The former definition will be explored more in the next chapter, I promise! I do hope you enjoy this chapter. I also realize that the story is moving a bit slow, and it may be unclear as to why Sakura is the way she is, but I promise it will be explained. Additionally, I just want to thank all of my reviewers for their really kind reviews and to thank everyone who favorited/followed my story.

One more note: please do not let this story take priority over your own self-care. If something in here is triggering, or if you feel like you need to talk to someone, I would be more than glad to talk to you about it through private messaging.

* * *

"_In another life, I would make you stay. So I don't have to say you were the one that got away"_

It had been a cold, December morning. Sakura was home alone again: her mother was in the kitchen chatting away on the phone about how useless her husband was, while the aforementioned husband was drunkenly napping in his room. Snow was shaven off of the roads, although the grass was still buried beneath mounds of the icy crystals, tainted by speeding vehicles.

Sakura told the empty house that she was intending to take a walk, and that she would be back shortly. The house refused to echo her sounds, barely interrupting its normal flow when the door slammed shut. Sakura had rubbed her hands quickly, her breaths solidifying in front of her as she breathed. She gingerly felt her pockets, and found what she was looking for: wallet, pills, keys, and phone. Taking a few cautious steps, Sakura managed to traipse through the slippery sheet of snow that caked her sidewalk. Once she reached the clean sidewalk, Sakura pulled out her headphones and MP3 player and plugged it into her ears, blocking out the world.

Although she could clearly see, Sakura was in another world. Her green eyes had transported her to a fantasy realm that only existed in the confines of her mind. It was a world where Ino and Sakura were still best friends. It was a world where Naruto treated Sakura like a little sister. It was a world where Sakura's forehead was normally sized and where her parents actually ate dinner together in the same room at the same time. It was a world where secrets were myths, and where no one ever left Sakura.

Suddenly, Sakura was throttled away from her dream world and into reality where she had lost her balance and was hurling down a sidewalk, the ice beneath her feet propelling her faster than she could imagine. For a moment, Sakura laughed: she felt like a cherry blossom flower, plucked from its tree and dancing through the gay wind. The quick, jubilant euphoria ended when Sakura tackled someone onto the snowy ground.

"I'm s-s-so sorry!" Sakura sputtered, quickly getting up when she felt the body beneath her stiffen. Sakura used her mittens to brush off some of the snowflakes that had accumulated on her winter coat. The stranger grunted, making some sound Sakura's couldn't understand. For a moment, Sakura thought she smelled a strong, pungent odor of liquor and—dare she say it—urine. Who exactly did she fall on this morning?

Sakura quickly grabbed her MP3 player, which had slipped out of her hand, and walked past the stranger, choosing not to spend a minute more in their presence. The alcohol wafting off of them strongly reminded her of her father and her original intention of embarking upon this walk in a frigid, subzero morning.

"Hey!" Sakura thought she heard something, but chose to ignore it again. She plugged her headphone back into her ears and cranked the volume of her MP3 player to the highest volume possible. Instead of drifting back into her daydream, Sakura chose to focus on the ground beneath her to ensure she didn't fall again. Walking past several dry patches of cement, then several patches that were heavily iced, Sakura wondered how such two contradictory states could exist at the same time.

It seemed like the dry patches were sparse, however. The icy patches were the spots that quickly accelerated anyone who came close to them away from them. The dry spots were more welcoming, but they were quickly engulfed by the slick, slippery sheets of ice.

Brushing back several moist strands of hair, Sakura continued walking down the nameless road. Well, it certainly had a name, but to Sakura, it wasn't important.

"Should I call Hinata?" Sakura pondered, vaguely thinking of her shy friend. She knew Hinata would be disappointed, but she would understand when she read the note. Or at least Sakura hoped she would; as she hoped also would Ino, Naruto, Shikamaru, Shizune, Tsunade, and her parents. They played some role in her decision, and Sakura knew that her decision was the culmination of different forces stretching her in so many different directions that she hardly knew how to stand still.

But in the end, would they really care? Hinata would just find other friends. Ino would find another victim. Naruto would find another person to joke about with his friends. Shikamaru would be the uncontested smartest person in the school. Shizune and Tsunade would find a new, and much better, protégé.

"Hey!" Sakura thought she heard something again, and chose to turn around this time. To her utmost horror, the same man in the same ski gear was racing toward her, a plastic bag in his hand. Sakura's heart dropped when she saw a large number of small blue circular pills in the plastic bag, along with an intricately folded piece of notebook paper. Instinctively, Sakura's hand jumped to her pocket, which was unsurprisingly empty.

"You dropped your medicine." The man, dressed in a large trench coat, stomped up to her, angrily holding the bag of pills in her way. Sakura raised an eyebrow. Sakura was surprised on two accounts. One was that this so-called man seemed much younger, and resembled someone who was Sakura's age or possibly a year older. Sakura couldn't see much past the large, black scarf, but she knew the boy had onyx eyes, pale skin, and hair colored like the wings of a raven. Did he even go to her school?

Secondly, Sakura was flabbergasted. This ma—boy had picked up her escape button, with clear instructions on her intent, and was still choosing to give it to her? Perhaps this was what the world actually wanted. It felt like a stinging slap in the face: a small part of her wanted the boy to tell her to throw away the pills and tell her that she was fine the way she was.

"It's a sign." Sakura mumbled. She stretched out her arms to grab the pills when the boy suddenly moved his arm back, keeping the pills away from Sakura. Furrowing her brow, Sakura glowered at the stranger.

"I hope you have charcoal." The boy coldly commented. To anyone else, that would have seemed like an abstract comment. But Sakura read deeper into his words and understood what he was saying—or at least trying to say.

"Maybe I didn't intend on throwing it up." Sakura plainly retorted, reaching for the bag again. Once again, the slightly taller and more demure man took a step back, right out of Sakura's reach. This was growing tiresome. Sakura had planned out everything and currently, she was running five and a half minutes behind schedule.

"Can I have my medicine back, please?" Sakura clicked her tongue hastily, crossing her arms. Perhaps if she seemed unapproachable and uncouth, the boy would leave her alone.

"Right, because you totally look like someone who has insomnia." The boy spoke again in his cold, condescending voice. Sakura rolled her eyes and tried to reach for the pills _yet again_ and continued to fail as the boy took two steps back.

"You know that you can get into a coma for taking too many of these, right?" The boy talked down to Sakura as if she was some stupid, little girl. Sakura scoffed. Ever since she failed and retook Chemistry, acing it the second time, Sakura discovered her passion for medicine and pharmaceutical interactions. Tsunade often told her about different cases she had encountered in the hospital.

"Of course I do!" Sakura grunted. "I'll also have uncoordinated contractions of the cardiac muscle of the ventricles in my heart, and dulled mental capacity. Well, you already seem to have the last one so—give me back my pills!" Sakura yelled, jumping this time to try and reach them. The annoying boy smirked and opened the bag, as if he was going to give them to her, only to dump them all out on the ice and crush them with his boot.

Sakura was fuming. She had worked so hard to convince her pediatrician that she had a sleeping problem, and she only offered to give Sakura a few samples of the pill instead of the entire prescription. Sakura had calculated that she had just enough to escape until the Neanderthal in front of her ruined her plan.

"What is wrong with you?! You're a psychopath!" Sakura cried, tightening her hands into firsts. "What if I actually had a real sleeping problem, huh? You're so annoying!" Sakura continued to lambast the boy in front of her as he only smirked, seemingly amused with her screaming.

"—and what, please tell me, is _so_ amusing to you?!" Sakura finished her tirade, panting heavily. She was so frustrated: the plan had been perfect until the extraneous variable entered and ruined everything. Now she was going to have to go back to school and face Ino after the immense humiliation she had endured when Ino had spread a rumor about Sakura being pregnant and not knowing who the father was. The rumor was powerful enough that Tsunade and Shizune pulled Sakura out of class to discuss her options. She could still hear Naruto's guffawing, his words piercing her:

"How can't you remember the father of your child? It's not like an entire line of guys want to bang you! In fact, I can't think of one person who does!" Sakura suddenly returned back to her current predicament, thanking the cold temperature for delaying the onset of her warm tears.

"Just leave me alone, okay?" Sakura huffed, brushing past the boy. He only watched her until she was far enough to not see him anymore. Sakura had returned to an empty house, where her mother was packing for her salon appointment and her father was still asleep on his bed.

* * *

"Sakura Haruno." An office aide reported to Mr. Hatake, giving him a note from the principal. Sakura sighed. She knew after ignoring Shizune's calls and messages, she would have to deal with the aftermath.

"Looks like someone's popular today." Mr. Hatake lazily commented, hardly looking up from his book (that was rumored to be erotica) as Sakura gathered her belongings and made her way to leave.

"I heard that when you're pregnant, you have to get special permission from the principal to take certain classes and stuff." Sakura heard Ino's whisper to some random student before she left the room. Rolling her eyes, Sakura held her binder and books to her chest as she made it down the hallway with the quiet office aide. If Sakura recalled, his name was Shino and he was pretty smart, having been published in an entomology journal as a high school senior.

"Thanks, Shino." Sakura muttered as he took his seat in the office. Sakura walked into Tsunade's office and took her usual seat as Shizune closed the door.

"How was it?" Tsunade asked in a soft voice. Sakura narrowed her eyes for a moment. Tsunade usually flaunted tough-love to Sakura, so it seemed extraordinary that she would actually display a soft, tender side. Rumor had it that in college, Tsunade once almost put a boy in a concussion for making a lewd comment about her large breasts.

"F-Fine," Sakura cleared her throat, "it was great. Thank you so much for the opportunity." Sakura gritted her teeth, feeling her heart pounding against her chest. She really did not want to be here right now.

"Would you be willing to pick up an extra shift then?" Shizune smiled. "We're low on volunteers tonight. I'll be supervising again!" Sakura groaned. What if the same, disgruntled visitor returned with a passion for vengeance?

"I guess, I could." Sakura shrugged. She crossed her legs, hoping to show her subtle displeasure. She wished she had just gotten accepted into Hidden Village so she could avoid this embarrassing hotline. It only served as a constant reminder for her utter failure—she couldn't even kill herself properly enough, so how was she even supposed to tell someone else not to hurt themselves?

"Sakura, I know this is a lot," Tsunade smiled, "but it's only going to help you. This is something you can put on your medical school application and Koharu will eat it up." Sakura groaned. Once she had her acceptance letter, she was going to never return to the hotline.

"When can I start volunteering at the emergency room?" Sakura changed the topic, her knee trembling slightly in anticipation. Although there was a quick look between the older women, Shizune smiled and told Sakura that she could start this weekend, if she was available. Sakura almost snorted—other than studying, having monthly sleepovers with Hinata, and listening to music, Sakura has almost no other life.

"Sakura," Tsunade leaned forward, "how are things at home? Did you tell your parents about Hidd—"

"I did." Sakura lied. "They didn't really care." Sakura sort of lied again. They actually didn't react, as they had never been told, but Sakura figured they would react with apathy. Her mother would mutter something about how it was expected, and her father would be slobbering drunkenly.

"Why do you ask?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. Tsunade shrugged, wiping her shoulder as if there was dust on her.

"Just as a formality. You can head back to class now." Tsunade gave Sakura another earnest smile, which greatly worried the pink-haired girl.

* * *

Sakura laid against her headboard, glaring at the clock. She had taken a quick nap after school, and prepared two cups of coffee this time, both resting on her nightstand. With her laptop on her lap, Sakura logged onto the hotline and waited for Shizune to message her, as the biology teacher (who seemed to be involved in everything, now that Sakura thought about it…) was online.

**SupervisorShizune:** Sakura! Glad to see you here!

Sakura rolled her eyes. She loved her mentors, but she knew that they knew that she absolutely loathed the hotline and she had only been on for the second time in her life.

**Blossom328:** Thanks, Ms. Shizune. I'll take the next caller whenever they come in.

**SupervisorShizune:** Thanks, Sakura.

Sakura paused for a moment. There had been a nagging question in the back of her mind, and she wanted to ask it. Seeing as no one was online yet, Sakura replied to Shizune's chat.

**Blossom328:** Ms. Shizune, why was Tsunade acting so polite with me today?

**SupervisorShizune:** So you noticed too?

**Blossom328:** Lol, yeah. I was a bit taken aback.

**SupervisorShizune:** Well, Sakura, not to worry you, but we were…a bit concerned when you suddenly logged off of the hotline after the last call. I was just worried that perhaps something that caller said affected you, and so I told Tsunade.

**Blossom328:** Oh.

**SupervisorShizune:** Sakura, if you ever need anything, I just want you to know that we're here for you. :)

Sakura shivered. This conversation was getting too intensive for her, and she needed to escape it as soon as possible. As if on cue, the "0" in the queue changed to a "1" and Sakura took the caller without even taking a moment of hesitation.

**Blossom328:** Hello. Before we begin, I would like to check in on some safety information. Would that be alright?

Sakura hated typing that standardized message, but it was mandatory. She saw the guest typing, and waited for their response. Sakura hoped it someone she could help this time.

**Anonymous:** I'm in a safe place and I don't have any questions about computer safety or whatever it was.

Sakura was taken aback. Clearly, this caller had visited the hotline before. Sakura saw Shizune's message to continue the conversation as if the caller had answered her mandatory questions. Cracking her knuckles, Sakura began to type until the caller started typing.

**Anonymous:** I wanted to apologize for coming on here drunk last night. I was a mess, and I hate to admit that.

Sakura blanched. Of course. As if her life wasn't troublesome enough, the same, raucous visitor who had reminded her eerily of all of her insecurities returned to rub it in even more. Taking a sip of her steaming hot cup of coffee, Sakura continued reading.

**Anonymous:** I may have said some things that were inappropriate or puzzling.

**Blossom328:** It's alright. You were upset. It's understandable.

**Anonymous:** If I tell you something, do you have to report it?

Sakura nearly spit out her coffee. Was her caller switching gears? She felt a bit intimidated, and only felt the urge to continue the conversation when Shizune pasted the protocol for Sakura to copy and paste into her conversation box.

**Blossom328:** We only will report information if there is sufficient evidence for child abuse, elderly abuse, or suicidal intent. Even then, if you would like to report something, it would be much faster for you to do it yourself.

**Anonymous:** I wasn't asking about reporting something. I said if I told you something.

Sakura arched her eyebrow. Her caller seriously had an attitude for someone trying to get help on a suicide hotline. Sakura took a deep breath and continued onto her conversation.

**Blossom328:** Ok.

**Anonymous:** I told you last time that I lived in a foster home because my brother killed my family and left me alive, right?

Sakura inwardly groaned. This felt like an elaborate manga or movie plot, not real life. Sakura had read about delirium in her AP Psychology class, and wondered if the caller was delirious or drunk—or both.

**Blossom328:** Yes, you did.

**Anonymous:** Can I continue then?

**Blossom328:** Of course. I'm here to help you. But I must remind you that we are not a long-term counseling service and we encourage you to seek professional help if that is needed.

Sakura winced. Even to her, that sounded rude. But she waited for his response. The caller seemed a bit more amicable, albeit more inapproachable.

**Anonymous:** I live in a foster home with three other siblings. There's an older guy. He has a temper, but I seem to be able to control him. There's a guy my age who kind of reminds me of my best friend. But he's so annoying. He also leaves the sinks on all the time. Then there's a girl, and she's…obsessed with me, to say the least. She stole one of my sweaty shirts.

Sakura cringed. She almost felt bad for the melancholic caller that was talking to her.

**Blossom328:** Do you enjoy being around them?

**Anonymous:** Idk. I feel that they can help me though.

**Blossom328:** Help you? How can they help you, if you feel comfortable telling me.

**Anonymous:** By exacting revenge on my brother.

Sakura rolled her eyes. They were back to the original brother-revenge plot. Sakura was seriously beginning to consider if the caller was actually a lunatic.

**Blossom328:** May I interject, momentarily, and ask why you came to the hotline today?

Sakura instantly received a message from Shizune, berating her on her uncouth etiquette. Sakura simply apologized to Shizune, but refused to take back her words. The caller seemed obsessed with wallowing in their own misery.

**Anonymous:** Well, I'm drunk. Again.

Sakura rolled her eyes for what it seemed like the fifth time that night. This caller was beginning to irk her more and more, but Shizune instructed Sakura to remain calm.

**Blossom328:** Why do you drink so much? It can be perilous to your health.

**Anonymous:** If I wasn't drunk, we wouldn't be talking. And if we wouldn't be talking, I would be taking a walk. And if I was walking, well, I live around a lot of thugs so…

**Blossom328:** Alright. So how can I help you then? Would you like to discuss ways to feel better?

Sakura had learned several useful tips about self-care during her extreme training with Shizune. She brushed back some of her hair as she waited for the caller to respond.

**Anonymous:** Hn.

"Again with the two letter affirmations." Sakura hummed, placing a finger against her lips as she thought. Suddenly, she had a bright idea as to how to help the caller!

**Blossom328:** Try keeping a journal. I know you live with foster siblings, but maybe keep it in a pocket notebook.

**Anonymous:** Should I write about cute girls and how many calories I ate today?

Sakura felt as if that was supposed to be an offensive taunt, but she ignored it and moved on with the conversation.

**Blossom328:** Some people find that recording their thoughts and feelings in a journal or diary helps them manage their emotions, especially after an emotionally turbulent experience, much like yours.

**Anonymous:** Hn.

**Blossom328:** So does that mean that you'll try it?

**Anonymous:** Maybe.

**Blossom328:** That's a start, then! It can help you also settle your anger toward your brother and help assuage some of your guilt, perhaps.

**Anonymous:** Perhaps.

**Blossom328:** Is there anything—

_Anonymous has ended the chat_

Sakura blinked at the screen. Shizune was congratulating her, but she was appalled. For the second time, she had been hung up upon in the chat room. That caller had no manners whatsoever.

* * *

Sakura strolled into the emergency room that Saturday, yawning as she stumbled through the automated doors. In her hand was a coffee mug, filled with the delicious nectar that sustained her. Shizune was smiling (then again, when was she not?) and introduced Sakura to the doctors and nurses at the station. Sakura's job was to go around the patient rooms and check in with the patients to see if they needed anything.

Shizune told Sakura that in a few weeks, she would do her best to get Sakura some shadowing opportunities. Sakura gratefully thanked her biology teacher and went about her daily tasks. The Konoha Emergency Department was set up interestingly. There were two behavioral health rooms, two OBGYN rooms, two immediate emergency rooms (where the ambulances unloaded), seven or so rooms for elderly adults, ten or so rooms for kids, and then two rooms for suicidal patients, or known as the psych wards.

Sakura immensely enjoyed interacting with the kids and their parents, and even enjoyed grabbing pillows and warm blankets for the elderly patients. Sakura then started to make her rounds, stopping near another acute emergency room before the psych wards.

"Hey, doll," Sakura looked up from her clipboard and smiled at the patient, even though she was slightly mollified by his nickname for her. He had wide brown eyes and short, red hair, and a very apathetic face. For a moment, Sakura thought he was hiding something beneath his blanket but then everything seemed normal again.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Mr…" Sakura looked back down at her list of patients, "Mr. Sasori?" The man shook his head after a quick moment, instead closing his eyes and seemingly falling back asleep. Sakura blinked a few times, as if making sure she wasn't hallucinating. That was, by far, the second weirdest patient she had seen.

The first, of course, would have been her very next patient: the same onyx-eyed, pale-skinned, raven-haired boy in the psych ward, looking at Sakura with an emotionless smirk.

"Pill girl…" the boy chuckled darkly. "Irony at its finest."

Sakura looked down at her list of patients and swallowed visibly. The boy who had inadvertently saved her life was none other than the infamous Sasuke Uchiha, son of the local police chief.


	3. Sparks Fly

**Wings Made Of Words**

Chapter 3: Sparks Fly

A/N: So this chapter is not necessarily a filler chapter, since it's vital to the plot, but it doesn't necessarily advance the plot too much. I look forward, however, to reading your reviews. I really want to also thank everyone for their really kind reviews and support. Once again, I just want to add a disclaimer that there may be some triggering thoughts in here, and that the plot may frustrate some, but I promise that it should pick up soon.

Thank you again, and I look forward to reading your feedback!

* * *

"_The way you move is like a full on rainstorm and I'm a house of cards. You're the kind of reckless that should send me running." _

When Sakura had studied for the SAT, she had memorized as many words as possible. As if taunting her, Sakura froze, forgetting the definition of irony until it hit her with the familiar smirk of the onyx-eyed, pale-skinned, raven-haired boy. The same boy who took away her chance to end her life would end up in the psychological ward at the hospital Sakura just started to volunteer at: that was irony.

"I'm pretty sure you're not mute, since you bothered to lecture me on what was it," Sasuke's eyes flashed restlessly toward the stunned volunteer, "uncoordinated contractions of the cardiac muscle of the ventricles in my heart, and dulled mental capacity." Sasuke watched Sakura closely, like a snake hunting its prey.

Clearing her throat, Sakura looked around to ensure Shizune wasn't making any rounds before stomping up to Sasuke and glaring at him.

"Look, I don't know what you're thinking, but you can't tell anyone about what you saw that day." Sakura held her finger dangerously close the boy's laryngeal prominence, or better known as an Adam's apple.

"Why? Honor Roll Sakura Haruno can't handle her parents finding out? Or what? Was the rumor that Ino spread about you really true?" Sasuke's voice was as flat as his expression, but something in his words stung Sakura. She looked away for a moment to make sure a nurse wasn't hovering around the rooms.

"You know what? I never said anything to you when you left us seventh grade to join Kin, Dosu, and Zako at their stupid school. I don't understand why you're even here, Mr. Uchiha!" Sakura slammed her first onto the rails of Sasuke's bed, glaring dangerously at him. For a moment, he looked concerned, until he returned her glower with a glower of his own.

"You're just upset that I ditched you and Naruto to go to that gifted and talented school and the fact that your scores weren't high enough to get in." Sasuke lecherously speculated, his eyes shining in victory when he saw Sakura's face.

A million thoughts were running through Sakura's head at the moment: Sasuke Uchiha, her former classmate, was the one who she had bumped into that day. Sasuke Uchiha, the former subject of her affection, had ditched all of his friends to go to a fancy new school in a new town because he believed he was better than all of them. Everyone had become sour about him, and he became a taboo subject at Konoha High. In fact, he was the boy that Sakura and Ino had ruined their friendship about, and here he was, in flesh in front of her.

It was seventh grade, and Sakura was hoping to get into a science group with Sasuke Uchiha, the proclaimed hottest boy in her grade. Ino was also vying for his attention, but unfortunately she was placed with her future minions: Shikamaru and Choji. Sakura ended up with Sasuke (which she celebrated about) and with the former class dunce, Naruto. They initially all loathed each other, and tried to run their own projects: Sasuke's was about thermodynamics, Naruto's was about wind energy, and Sakura's was about cellular biology. The project was nearly a disaster for all of them, as Sasuke's notes had been ironically burned during an experiment, Naruto's papers had ripped apart during a trial, and Sakura's paper was not strong enough, according to their science teacher, Mr. Iruka.

Then, on the last night before their presentation, the trio finally decided to give up what was most valuable to them: Sakura's intelligence, Sasuke's dominating ego, and Naruto's freedom of expression to cooperate with each other. Somehow, a myriad of their ideas were formed in the idea of bells. They delved into a research study as to how bells could be used to improve intelligence. Sakura designed the study as they each made each other practice tests from the Sound Academy Magnet School (a gifted and talented school that exposed students to rigorous academia) and played a melody of bells during several tests and then they would also take the tests in silence to determine if their intelligence was affected. Surprisingly, Sakura realized that they all managed to score significantly higher when the bells were ringing.

Although their project was rushed, the trio was surprised to see that their project won the most accolades from their teachers. Somehow, a bond had formed between the three of them. While they did not necessarily hang around the same social circles, they somehow intersected in each other's life. Sakura became Naruto's tutor; Naruto's eligibility to play on the school sports somehow increased the competition between him and Sasuke which led to more wins for the school and increased popularity for them; and Sasuke's popularity helped Sakura during that one party after the eighth grade dance when Gaara, a new student then, had cornered Sakura.

But their alliance broke; shattered when Sasuke left the school without telling them. Sakura had seen him one day at the ninth grade state science fair and pleaded for him to come back, but instead he walked away and ignored her. Since then, no one had bothered to ever acknowledge his existence and the Konoha district started to lose their fervor in their athletics department.

"Are you really getting off to seeing me debilitated? You're a freak." Sasuke hissed when Sakura stared into the wall, reliving her junior high. She shook her head back into reality and intensified her glare against the conceited brat.

"Shut up, and leave me alone." Sakura stomped away, turning only to deliver one last threat to Sasuke. She twisted her abdomen to face him, her green eyes hardened into jade. "If you tell anyone about that winter afternoon, I'll tell them about what happened in the forest all those years ago." It was a mean bluff, but Sakura could tell Sasuke bit it. She walked away victorious, leaving Sasuke alone to ponder his thoughts.

When she reached the nurse's station, she took a look at her skewed reflection in the steel fridge. She was no longer the meek girl that needed Sasuke's attention to thrive. She, for the first time in her life, showed up Sasuke Uchiha.

Then again, her insecurities returned to haunt her. She was not as pretty as Ino; as confident as Naruto; as determined as Hinata; or as smart as Shikamaru. She was not a prodigy like Sasuke, so did she even have the grounds on which to belittle him?

"Sakura?" Shizune walked over to the volunteer, cocking her head slightly. "You look a bit startled. Did someone say something to you?" Sakura shook her head quickly and smiled, graciously thanking Shizune for her connections. Shizune smiled and returned to the geriatrics emergency department down the hallway. Sakura took a deep breath and contemplated returning to a chair when she decided to make rounds again—and avoid Sasuke's room.

Sakura visited most of the rooms again and noticed that her shift was almost over. Gleefully, Sakura sped through the other rooms, cleaning them to hasten time. She was glad that the four-hour shift was almost over and decided to spend extra time cleaning the empty room beside that creeper—Mr. Sasori, Sakura remembered—instead of visiting him. Besides, from what Sakura overheard, he was a somewhat regular patient since he often cut himself while making puppets as a hobby.

"…I know, Deidara. I know the plan. Why else do you think I nearly cut off my finger?" Sakura, who had been wiping numerous circles around the empty bed with her antibacterial wipe, paused. The voice sounded like Mr. Sasori's, but it was much more sinister. Besides, he wasn't supposed to be using his cell-phone in the emergency room. But what Sakura heard next caught her off guard:

"He's in the emergency room too, I know. I'm not going to tell Itachi, no, you idiot. Do you think I want to be killed? We have to execute our plan perfectly. Operation Sabaku will commence—I have to go." Sakura heard Mr. Sasori quickly ending the phone call as a nurse was about to make her way into his room. Sakura stood there, stunned.

Itachi, from what Sakura remembered, was Sasuke's older brother. He was an extremely famous athlete among Konoha until he left. Then, Sakura recognized the last name 'Sabaku,' which was Gaara's last name. He was a creepy classmate of hers, and so Sakura knew very little of him other than the fact that his father was an ambassador from a foreign country.

Finally, what worried Sakura the most was the fact that Sasori was clearly referring to Sasuke. How did he know? Was there something else going on? Sakura, unfortunately, didn't have much time to ponder these thoughts as Shizune relieved her from her shift.

During her drive home, Sakura continued to ponder what she had heard. Was it even noteworthy? Sakura shivered slightly and parked her car in her driveway. Something was off, but Sakura couldn't place her finger on it. She sighed as she entered the Cold War occurring in her house, deciding that she would get ahead in biology again.

* * *

Walking into the squeaky wet hallways of Konoha High, Sakura did her best to not slip on the ground lathered with the dirty snow from the pathway to the school. All weekend, her mind had been occupied on her upcoming biology exam and then her surprise guest in the emergency room.

Why would she let him get to her _again_? She had to be stronger than that to get over him, get over Ino, get over Naruto, and get over herself. She had been so weak, and that's why she let Sasuke's leaving debilitate her so much that she failed her chemistry course. That's why she went to Tsunade: to become a stronger student and woman, like her mentor.

But something else was alluring about him. It was how Sasuke Uchiha, the perfect boy obsessed with control, managed to end up in the psychiatric ward for attempted suicide (sure she wasn't supposed to look at the nurse's chart…). It was a dangerous secret, whispering to her from around the corner with the temptation to talk to Naruto again.

"Hey, watch out, Kiba! A wild mutant forehead just appeared!" Sakura heard Naruto's haughty laughter from across the hall as she dialed the combination to her locker. For a moment, she heard Kiba chuckle.

"Did you really just make a Pokemon reference, dork?" Kiba laughed slightly harder, punching Naruto playfully and then jogging toward his first period class. In that silent winter morning, Naruto and Sakura stood apart from each other. Their backs glared at each other, as they had when they both left each other over the thing missing between them: Sasuke.

Sakura, however, could read more into Naruto's body language. His firm breathing; silent demure glare; and rough punch against the steel locker all affirmed what Sakura suspected: Naruto was breaking inside, just as she was.

Naruto was even more of a loser than she was when they were in middle school. He once got a month's worth of detention because he painted over the portraits of the former principals of the school. Sakura _loathed_ him when she used to be friends with Ino; after all, who could ever like an annoying troublemaker?

But something about Naruto was infectious. Sakura knew that not even her journey to become a first-class physician was comparable to what Naruto had overcome. While Sakura had parents who hardly cared for anything but themselves, Naruto had no parents at all. It was a weird situation, from what Sakura could remember.

According to her mother's gossip, Naruto had been born the same time a serial killer, Kyuubi, was rampantly murdering innocent townspeople. Naruto's father, the previous principal of Konoha High, was targeted one night and nearly managed to stop the monstrous killer, only to be killed at the last minute. Naruto's mother had perished once news reached her in the hospital that Minato, Naruto's father, had died in fending off the killer.

Minato was vivacious, much like his son. Unlike his son, however, he was graceful, elegant, and extremely well-liked and popular. Many wanted him to become the school board president and reign over the entire district, but he loved his students far too much. His death came as a blow to the entire town, and like a dense fog settling over them, their hatred for Kyuubi and their love for Minato somehow condensed into an intense hatred for Naruto Uzumaki.

Perhaps what worsened the situation was that Kyuubi's body was never found. Many of the superstitious townspeople claimed that Kyuubi's murderous spirit infected Naruto's newborn spirit, and thus, he was born evil.

That's why Sasuke was so important to him, Sakura supposed. Sasuke never looked at Naruto like a monster, only as a worthy adversary once they were grouped together for that one project. It was because of Sasuke and Sakura that Naruto was able to transcend beyond the disgust people had for him. It amused Sakura some times when she saw Ino laughing with Naruto, when only a few years ago, she was laughing at him.

Ino Yamanaka, however, was an entirely different story. Before Sakura could ponder further about her former best friend, the bell rang and she realized that she never got to review her notes for the test!

* * *

"Sakura Haruno," Sakura neatly wrote on the top of her exam. Biting the tip of her pencil, Sakura looked down at the first question.

"Animals may live in groups or they may be solitary. Sooner or later, however, all animals must make contact with others to reproduce. In each animal species, social behaviors have evolved that optimize individual fitness. Talk about four patterns of interactions, and provide an explanation." Sakura read to herself. Pausing for a moment, Sakura glanced around the room. Ino was scribbling furiously in her purple lucky pen. Shikamaru was lazily drawing over his exam. Hinata was reading through the entire test and making small notes on the margin. Naruto, however, had his hands buried in his hair. He looked as if he had seen a monster.

"Agnostic behavior," Sakura wrote, "which is aggression and submission. It originates from competition for food, mates, or territory. Because most agonistic behavior is ritualized, injuries and time spent in contests are minimized."

"_He's mine, Sakura!" A thirteen year old Ino cried, tightening her fists. "You can't have him! I'm prettier and smarter!" A twelve year old Sakura scoffed, crossing her arms against her chest._

"_He'll like me more, Ino-pig! Besides, we're in the same science project group!" Sakura contested, smugly smiling at the blonde girl._

"_Please! He'll ditch you the moment he can! Especially with your mutant forehead!"_

"_Take that back, you pig!"_

"_Then stop harassing Sasuke with its ugliness! Let him see true beauty!"_

"_Shut up, Ino!"_

"_No, you shut up, you bitch!" The next thing that twelve year old Sakura knew was that she was on top of Ino, whose nose was bleeding. Sakura's eye was blackened, and there was definitely a bruise forming on her cheek._

"Dominance hierarchies," Sakura erased the way hierarchies was written and rewrote it, "indicate power and status relationships between individuals in a group. Established hierarchies minimize fighting for food and mates."

"_Fuck, we're screwed." A thirteen year old Naruto groaned, sipping his ramen soup. "My genius idea to test out the wind and stuff totally blew up all of my notes. This is all Sasuke's fault!"_

"_My fault, dobe? Really? At least my experiment malfunctioned. It wasn't doomed from the beginning." A thirteen year old Sasuke Uchiha remarked, glaring at the table. "My project was nearly flawless."_

"_Can you both just shut up?" A thirteen year old Sakura groaned, a headache threatening to break through her skull. For the past hour, she had been arguing with her group members._

"_At least our paper wasn't too weak, traitor! Yeah, Iruka told me!" Naruto glowered at Sakura, clearly angry that she tried to submit a project for all of them. Even Sasuke scooted slightly away from her._

"_If you guys had just listened to me, we could have ordered some organism—" _

"_You two should have just let me do all the wor—"_

"_You two are SO annoying!" Naruto finally exploded, disrupting the diner for a brief moment until everyone returned to their dinners._

"_I can't afford to fail another class, they'll definitely hold me back." Naruto groaned once the tense silence formed between the trio._

"_I can't even afford to fail one, since my record is perfect." Sasuke challenged Naruto, who simply growled in response._

_A bell rang, signaling that Sakura's order was ready. In that moment, the trio put aside their individual egos aside and looked at each other:_

"_Bells!" Sakura and Naruto shrieked, while Saskue's face displayed a ghost of a smirk._

"_There's cellular responses to it!" Sakura gleefully exclaimed._

"_And yeah, like wind stuff too! Since that's totally cool!" Naruto agreed, rubbing his hands together excitedly._

"_It'll be interesting to study the physics behind it, since electrons are carried by sound waves, just to let you know, idiot." Sasuke muttered, although Sakura couldn't detect much malice in his statement._

"Territoriality," Sakura scribbled, "is the active possession and defense of the territory in which an animal or group of animals (often related) lives."

"_Yeah, you better stay out of here!" A thirteen year old Naruto wagged his finger at three kids. Sakura panted slightly, standing behind an angry Sasuke._

"_You can't try and steal our science fair idea. That's illegal." Sakura yelled, wanting to give that girl, Kin, another punch in the face._

"_Please, like we actually care about your project, dumb bitch." The boy, who had introduced himself as Dosu, snickered. Sakura got even madder, but Sasuke held her back, simply choosing to glower at them._

"_So then why did you try to follow us?" Sasuke spoke slowly, darting his eyes back and forth._

"_We heard you're good, Sasuke, and our principal wants you to be in our school. Not only for the sports team, but for the school projects." The last boy, Zaku, held out an envelope. "He told us to watch you."_

"_The Sound Academy Magnet School?" Sakura read the insignia on the envelope. Sasuke seemed hardly interested._

"_Yeah right, losers, Sasuke's not gonna leave us! Me and him are gonna play for Konoha High's team and beat you!" Naruto barked._

"_He's our friend, and you have no right to be here." Sakura concluded, finally stepping up to stand in front of Sasuke._

"Altruistic behavior," Sakura paused for a moment, trying to recall the definition she had written in her notes, "is seemingly unselfish behavior that appears to reduce the fitness of the individual. It commonly occurs when an animal risks its safety in defense of another or sacrifices its reproduction to help another individual."

"_Here," Sasuke clumsily thrust two boxes into Sakura and Naruto's face. They looked at each other, puzzled. Sasuke, their friend, was an enigma sometimes._

"_What is this? Are you actually dealing? I thought Kiba was—"_

"_Shut up," Sasuke groaned, "these aren't drugs. I bought these because we got an A on our project."_

"_Aww, you like us?" Naruto chuckled coarsely, and Sakura swore she saw a vein throb in Sasuke's forehead._

"_Thanks, Sasuke." Sakura gently smiled, taking the box from him. When she opened it, she was shocked to see a piece of paper. (Not that she was expecting a diamond ring just yet…)_

"_What the hell? A piece of paper?" Naruto glowered at the boy, who simply scowled and told them to read it._

_When Sakura unwrapped the paper, she noticed it was a letter, addressed to her. It was only a few lintes, but when Sakura read it, blood rushed to her cheeks._

"_Your analytical ability and science know-how is the most improved in our group." Sakura, who had been feeling down after watching throngs of Sakura's former friends surround Naruto and Sasuke to commend their ability to win against a rival school's team, was so grateful for Sasuke's abrupt and awkward, but greatly appreciated, compliment._

"_Why does mine say that I'm still an idiot?!" Naruto roared, crumbling his note up into a ball._

"Discuss cAMP and its implications in the reactions in a body." Sakura read one of the final questions as she finished up her exam. She paused for a moment before continuing to write her response:

"Cyclic AMP (cAMP) is produced from ATP. Cyclic AMP, in turn, triggers an enzyme that generates specific cellular changes."

"_So why hasn't Sasuke come to school in a while?" Naruto asked, walking alongside Sakura with his hands behind his back. Sakura shrugged, although the same question had been vexing her for a while. Where was their friend?_

"_He's been so weird ever since those three clowns from Sound Academy came here." Naruto commented loudly, walking past a group of elementary schools on their way to school._

"_You're right." Sakura vaguely commented, a dark realization dawning upon her. That afternoon, Sakura told her inattentive parents that she was spending the night at Ino's house (since they believed that the two girls were still friends) and took a bus to the next town, where the Sound Academy district was. Waiting on a bench outside the school, Sakura saw kids leaving the school and heading home. But it wasn't until the evening, once the soccer team had finished their practice, that Sakura saw Sasuke. His eyes widened for a quick moment when she rose from the bench, only to return back to his stoic face._

"_Why are you prowling here so late at night?" Sasuke asked._

"_I knew you'd be here," Sakura looked at Sasuke briefly before looking down at the ground, "so I just waited here."_

"_Get out of here and go to sleep." Sasuke commanded, walking past Sakura. Her back faced his, as his footsteps grew only slightly more distant. _

"_Why won't you say anything to me? Why do you always keep so quiet? You never say a single word to me…that's why you wrote that letter." Sakura couldn't stop the warm tears from streaming down her face as she turned her neck to notice him in his tracks, stopped._

"_I don't need you. Don't try to look after me." Sasuke remarked, continuing to keep his back against her._

_There was a moment of silence as the two stood in their own place, pondering the slight music of the crickets around them. It reminded Sakura of bells._

"_No matter what, you just will always hate me, won't you? I mean, you remember, don't you?" Sakura slowly took a step toward the immobile former friend of hers._

"_When we were stuck in that science group together, that day our three-man team was made, the first time we actually talked…" Sakura's mind replayed that first conversation, where Sasuke's subtle loneliness completely overwhelmed her, although she moreso remembered him telling her that she was annoying._

"_I don't remember that." Sasuke commented. For a moment, Sakura was stunned. Then she giggled softly, running a hand through her hair._

"_I guess you're right, huh. That's all in the past. That's when it all started though, you and me and Naruto. We started to do all kinds of stuff together, just the three of us. It was painful and difficult at times, even with that though, I still enjoyed it." Sakura sniffed slightly, hoping to see some reaction from Sasuke. The raven haired boy remained silent. _

"_I know about your dad, Sasuke. Even if you become even more perfect, it won't bring anyone happiness. Not even you…or me…" Sakura muttered, playing with the ends of her hair. The raven haired boy continued to remain silent._

"_I know," Sasuke finally spoke, tugging at his backpack. "I'm different than you two. I can't just be following the same path as you guys. Up until now, we've done everything together. But there is still something else I have to do…" This time, Sakura remained silent._

"_Deep inside my heart, I've already decided on my path. To please my father is the only reason I live." Sasuke then turned around, glaring at Sakura. "I'll never be like you or Naruto." Sakura's stunned silence lasted only for so long._

"_Do you really want to go back to being by yourself?! You once told me how painful it was to be alone! Right now, I know how you feel! I might have two parents, and a few friends, but if you were to leave…" Sakura huddled her arms against her chest, feeling the teardrops land on her forearms._

"…_.To me, I would be just as alone as you…" Sakura couldn't hold it in any longer, a dark feeling eating her up from inside her chest. She broke: tears flew out of her eyes and streamed down her face relentlessly._

_Shrugging, Sasuke turned around again and started walking slowly. _

"_From today on out, I guess we all start new paths." Sakura felt her knees trembling. Her heart pounded violently, as the world seemed to spin around her._

"_I…" Sakura choked. _

"_I love you with all of my heart!" Sakura screamed, tears dancing across her flushed face. "If you please come back to Konoha to stay with me, there would be no regrets. Every day, we'd do something fun together, we'd be happy, I promise! I would do anything for you! Please…just stay with me. I'll even help you ensure that you're more perfect than your father expects. I don't know what I could do, but I'll try my best to do something. So please…stay with me, or just let me enroll with you if you can't come back." Sakura cried, sinking to the ground. Sasuke chuckled for a moment, turning around and looking down at her._

"_You really are annoying." Sasuke snickered, walking away again._

"_Don't leave! If you do, I'll tell everyone the truth!" Sakura pleaded, holding her hands together to beg Sasuke. For a moment, Sakura thought Sasuke would just walk away._

"_Sakura…" Sasuke stopped walking again, but continued to face the dark night. "Thank you."_

"Okay, class! Time's up!" Shizune announced, clapping her hands. Sakura finished her answer and handed in her test, vaguely casting a glance at Naruto. In her mind, she wondered how life would have been if Sasuke had just stayed with them. Would she have been popular too? Would she have had more friends?

In the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed Naruto whispering harshly to Shizune. It seemed as if he was begging for something, but Shizune firmly shook her head. Crestfallen, Naruto sped out of the room, not even bothering to look at Sakura as he left.

And thus, Sakura became alone.


	4. Where Have You Been?

**Wings Made Of Words**

Chapter 4: Where Have You Been?

A/N: Hey everyone! I want to thank you all for the amazing reviews/favorites/follows. You all are simply amazing! I also wanted to take this moment to clarify a few quick things:

+ I realize that not all of my readers may be from the US, and I sincerely apologize for assuming so. In case it may not have been clear (and I'll be more careful in the future) AP exams are Advanced Placement exams that high school students can take to earn college credit.

+ I may be slower in my updates as I'm kicking up my MCAT studying a notch (trust me-4 hours can fly by really fast).

+ If any of my readers need an ear to talk to as they read through this story, I would be more than happy to answer any questions or simply just listen!

* * *

"_Where have you been? Cause I never see you out. Are you hiding from me, yeah? Somewhere in the crowd?"_

"Sakura," Tsunade drummed her desk slightly as her protégé sat attentively, as if she was a ninja awaiting her next assignment, "Shizune and I had an idea about adding to your resume." Sakura leaned forward slightly, jutting out her chin to indicate her interest. Sakura had been volunteering on the hotline for a few days now, and while her recurring visitor hadn't returned for a while, she found herself slowly (as slow as it took for a nerve cell to completely regenerate, mind you) liking the capacity she was given. Some of her conversations went positively; the caller would thank her and they would move on forward with their lives. Other calls were more groundbreaking: Sakura remembered one caller that had to leave immediately because their abuser returned home earlier than expected.

All in all, the hotline opened Sakura's eyes. Sure, she still felt lonely and weak. But in a sadistic, secretive way, she also felt less alone knowing that other people needed help. Volunteering on the hotline also offered Sakura a deflection against her own problems.

"We were wondering if you could tutor a student," Shizune slowly spoke, eyeing Tsunade nervously. Sakura caught the fleeting look of worry that tainted Shizune's normally positive face as she tried to collect her words.

"Sure," Sakura straightened her back and nodded. She hoped it was some underclassmen that knew nothing about her giant forehead or lack of friends. "Who is it? Are they in Shizune's regular biology class?"

"Actually, they're in my AP Biology class, with you." Shizune responded before Tsunade could, a manila folder fluttering close to her chest. Sakura narrowed her eyes, wondering why her mentors were acting so sketchy around her. Usually, they just commanded and Sakura fulfilled. For once, they seemed hesitant and reluctant.

"We would have normally asked someone else, but given that it's a senior and that you've proven your success before, we think it would work. Moreover, I'm sure it would look magnificent on your resu—"

"I am NOT tutoring Naruto!" Sakura leapt from her seat, glowering at her two mentors. She knew, somewhere inside of her blazing innards, that she was being disrespectful. But there was a limit to everything, and Shizune and Tsunade were not blissfully oblivious to the social standings at school. They knew about her and Naruto. They knew about her and Ino. They knew about her and Sasuke.

There was a gentle, almost timid knock at the door. Sakura turned around lecherously to mow down the poor victim who decided to disrupt her rampage, calming only when she saw Hinata playing with her fingers nervously.

"Y-You called for me, Ms. Shizune?" Hinata's meek voice somehow echoed in the deadly quiet office of Tsunade. Beckoning for Hinata to enter, Tsunade cleared her throat and silently commanded her students to sit down. Shizune closed the door, then walked back to stand by Tsunade.

"Sakura, we know about your past. If you had let me finish, I would have told you that we also asked Hinata to pitch in to help you out here." Tsunade nodded toward the brunette, who shyly nodded her head. "Between you and Hinata, Naruto will not be able to overpower you two or resist being tutored. Moreover, with the two of you working with him, he'll be able to understand and comprehend the material in time to ace the AP exam coming up in a few months. He also," Tsunade and Shizune glanced at each other for a brief moment, "is in your place, Sakura. He's been waitlisted or rejected from all of his schools."

While Hinata gasped and covered her open mouth with her hand, Sakura angrily sighed. It was not fair. Naruto belittled her at every opportunity possible, and Sakura said nothing to him. It wasn't as if she couldn't; back in middle school, she took every opportunity she could to yell at him. Times had changed, however, and Sakura was no longer the same angry girl she was then (well…disregarding her outburst a few moments ago).

Yet, somehow, it didn't surprise her that her path and Naruto's path converged again, right in time with Sasuke's re-entrance into her life. As if life was mocking her, Sakura conceded and agreed to tutor Naruto.

"Good," Tsunade smiled smugly, "I'll notify him that you'll meet him after your shift at the hospital. Does that sound alright with you, Hinata?" Sakura noticed Hinata playing with the ends of her hoodie.

"Y-Yes, Principal Tsunade. I'm okay with that." For a moment, Sakura thought she saw a faint blush cover Hinata's face. Perhaps she was imagining it, but was Hinata nervous about tutoring Naruto or was she afraid?

"He didn't complete his test from yesterday, so perhaps I could give you two a copy of it and you could go over it with him?" Shizune offered. Hinata quickly nodded her head before Sakura could reply, although Sakura knew it was because she was about to butt in a snide remark.

"Fine, but I swear if Hidden Leaf U doesn't accept me after this , I will actually punch a hole into the ground." Sakura muttered. Tsunade looked impressed, while Hinata appeared intimidated and mortified.

* * *

**SupervisorHanaInuzuka:** Hey Sakura, thanks for coming on today. We had a shortage of volunteers. Shizune's busy at the center, answering phone calls.

**Blossom328:** No problem, Hana! Shizune told me that you're in veterinary school?

**SupervisorHanaInuzuka:** Yup, that's correct. Oh, there's a caller in the queue; do you mind taking it?

**Blossom328:** Nope, I don't mind. Give me a moment.

Sakura tied her hair into a messy bun and quickly took a sip of her lukewarm tea before taking the caller in the queue. Waiting for the caller to accept the chat, Sakura leaned back into her bed. She thought she heard yelling, but knew it was just another argument between an intoxicated man and a frustrated woman.

**Anonymous:** Uh, hi.

**Blossom328:** Hello. Before we begin, I would like to check in on some safety information. Would that be alright?

**Anonymous:** Sure lol. I haven't actually been on here before.

**Blossom328:** No worries. I'll be more than willing to talk to you. Just in case you get disconnected, I encourage you to go back into the queue. If you need immediate services, I would recommend that you call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 and receive treatment there. Now, are you in a safe place?

**Anonymous:** K.

**Anonymous:** Oh wait, yeah I'm in a safe place. I think lol. I live in Konoha.

Sakura blinked a few times. She wasn't supposed to ask about any personal, disclosing information, but this caller seemed to not understand that. Taking her chances, Sakura bet that they had just clicked through the terms and conditions.

**Blossom328:** Alright. Do you have any questions about the connection and safe usage of the service's technology?

**Anonymous:** Huh? No lol.

**Blossom328:** Okay. Thanks for reviewing this information with me. Would you like to talk about what brought you to the hotline today?

**Anonymous:** Okay. Um, I've been kind of thinking about killing myself for a bit.

**Blossom328:** Not to interject, but I just need to check: you are not in any present danger, are you?

**Anonymous:** Nope lol. So yeah, I was thinking about kind of killing myself. But I don't want to. I mean, I'm a freaking kick-ass person. But…it's frustrating. I'm like at a point where nothing is going for me.

A pop-up message suddenly dinged, and Sakura noticed that Hana had sent her a message.

**SupervisorHanaInuzuka: **Not to distract you, but he kind of sounds like my brother. I'm guessing that he's around Kiba's age then.

**Blossom328:** Got it. I'll keep that in mind.

**SupervisorHanaInuzuka:** Thanks! You're doing great!

Sakura took another sip of her tea as the caller continued to type, writing out a long paragraph.

**Anonymous:** I'm hot, and like I play sports but I'm not good enough to get a scholarship or anything like that lol. (Sakura scoffed slightly as she read this) I'm just confused as to what I'm supposed to do with my life. My friends are going to these awesome places, and I'm just gonna be stuck here like a Konoha loser. I mean, I have like a 3.0, which is pretty high y'know? But I just don't find school interesting but idk what I can do.

**Blossom328:** That sounds like a tough situation. Have you thought about talking to your parents or the guidance department at your school, perhaps, and seeing what they can do?

**Anonymous:** Lol, yeah. It sucks lmao. I talked to my principal she's this old grandmother and like she kinda helped out but I doubt it'll do much I'm kinda dumb in school. But you should see me kick a soccer ball across the field! I'm the best! Believe it!

**Blossom328:** Alright. How about your parents? Maybe they can support you during your transition? It would be alright if you wanted to take a year off to explore your options.

**Anonymous:** That's the thing lol. I don't even know if I might graduate. I have like a D in some of my classes. I suck at math, science and stuff. But I'm a beast in my physics class lol. And my physical education class.

Sakura received another notification from Hana that projected just what she had been thinking:

**SupervisorHanaInuzuka:** Notice how he's deflecting about talking about his parents. Perhaps it's a sensitive topic, but you could try bringing it up again in a bit.

Sakura returned to the conversation at hand, staring at the screen. For some reason, this caller seemed to have a familiar voice in her head, but she couldn't quite place it. Did she know this person? If they lived in Konoha, and had a female principal, chances are that they went to Konoha High. She had to be extra careful not to reveal her identity then.

**Blossom328:** That's excellent that you're doing well in your physics class and your PE class. Why are you struggling with your other classes?

**Anonymous:** Lol it's fucked up.

**Blossom328:** Well, this is an anonymous service and I'm here to help you if you wanted to vent. We can even discuss some studying tips and some ways to feel better, if that sounds good to you.

**Anonymous:** No thanks, I'm not gonna pass anyways. I told you that I'm not good at school!

**Blossom328:** If I may, I would just like to commend you on your physics grade. Did you know that only 15% of students earned a 5 or an A in college level physics?

**Anonymous:** Lol, I never said I was in ap physics, but thanks. I actually got a 5…

**Blossom328:** See! You are much smarter thank you think. Perhaps there's another reason that's preventing you from doing well in school? If you don't mind me asking, you've avoided all of my questions about your parents.

**Anonymous:** Lol yeah um I don't have parents. I live with an adopted parent.

Sakura's heart started to thump, although she wasn't sure why. Something about this caller was stirring something in her, and she felt as if she already knew the answer but she was too afraid to even consider it a possibility.

**Blossom328:** Oh, I apologize for pushing the matter then. Have you considered professional counseling then?

**Anonymous:** wtf I'm not a fucking psychopath.

**Blossom328:** I did not mean to imply that, my apologies. But it seems that you may have some emotional hurdles preventing you from shining.

**Anonymous:** …my friend told me that I'm fine.

Sakura got yet another notification from Hana, who seemed to be paying special attention to this conversation. Perhaps the caller really did remind her of Kiba?

**SupervisorHanaInuzuka:** Sometimes, callers make up 'friends' to display their issues. Tread carefully, but good job so far! I know Kiba got a 2 on his AP Physics exam lol.

Sakura chuckled slightly to herself before typing again.

**Blossom328:** That's good that you have a friend to support you. Do you think that you could study with your friend? Maybe they could encourage you?

**Anonymous:** Well, we don't really talk about that kinda stuff.

**Blossom328:** Oh? Have you thought about bringing it up?

**Anonymous:** Well, we're kinda penpals. We've never actually met each other, kinda like you and me lol.

Sakura never got to finish her response as the caller disconnected suddenly. Hana convinced Sakura that perhaps the caller had a faulty connection, but something was nagging on Sakura's heart.

The caller _had_ to be Naruto. There was no one else who say Lol as much as this caller did. There was no one else who had dead parents (well, other than that other recurring caller…maybe Sakura was wrong about how many people lived with other guardians), and Mr. Iruka had adopted Naruto a few years ago. But what made Sakura doubt her suspicions was that Naruto—or this caller—never mentioned the plethora of friends they had at school. They almost sounded lonely, choosing to only rely on some anonymous penpal.

Once she finished her shift, Sakura thought of a good idea. She pulled out her AP Calculus textbook from her bookshelf and stuffed it into her backpack. She could tell Naruto and Hinata tomorrow that she accidentally meant to stop by the bookstore to give it away, but see if Naruto wanted it. The plan had many confounding flaws, but Sakura _had_ to know. It was unethical and wrong, but the inner part of her that actually cared for Naruto needed to know if her former friend was really contemplating suicide.

* * *

Groaning as she pulled into the dusty garage of the hospital at 7:40 in the morning, Sakura parked her car and walked inside the hospital with her trusty coffee mug glued to her hand. She had tried to sleep after her shift, but nightmares of seeing Naruto's dead body hung from a fan or lying in a pool of blood corrupted her circadian rhythm. Part of her felt like an awful friend for letting Naruto get to such a point of desolation, while another part of her felt angry that she couldn't do anything more to help him.

And somehow, in between these two parts, one part of her felt indifferent. After all, this was the kid who nearly made her high school career miserable.

When Sakura entered the emergency room, she greeted Shizune and quickly grabbed a clipboard and looked at the nurse's chart on the computer. Noting down occupied rooms, small problems with the patients, the ability to give which patients what food, and so forth, Sakura continued to scroll down the screen until she saw a certain name in the pediatrics department—Sasuke Uchiha.

Quickly minimizing the screen, Sakura ignored her urges to run toward the room and visit her former crush. Instantly replacing her affection, however, was anger about how he treated her before with his snide smirk and caustic remarks.

Once Sakura completed the rounds around the geriatric department, the acute emergency room, and even making double rounds around the behavioral health wards, Sakura finally mustered up the courage to enter the pediatric emergency room. Waving to the cute little infants who watched her as she passed by, Sakura finally got to room P7 where a bruised and heavily beaten Sasuke Uchiha sat. Inside the room, three other people of varying ages sat around the room.

"Uh, hi, is there anything I can do you for you guys? I'm Sakura Haruno, and I'm a volunteer here." Sakura introduced herself, trying to eye Sasuke as much as possible. Instantly, a kid with fluid movements and white hair that barely reached his shoulder stood up and grinned.

"I'm Suigetsu, and you're like a fairy godmother, aren't you?" the lean-built young man of average height with straight white hair chuckled, leaning against the wall in front of Sakura. Sakura recoiled slightly, partly in disgust, and partly because of a dirty look being given to her by some girl with glasses and long red hair.

The tallest one in the room, however, stood up and approached Sakura. He was a tall, muscular young man who with spiky orange hair, red-orange eyes and an unusually calm face for someone in the emergency department.

"Suigetsu, sit back down. Hello, Sakura, I'm Jugo, the patient's…" Sakura watched for a brief moment as the three looked at each other furtively, as if they were having a secret conversation.

"We're Sasuke's closest friends!" The girl with brown glasses spat angrily, as if Sakura had offended her. For a moment, Sakura watched the girl closely. Her hair was short and spiky on the right side, while longer and straight on the left side. Scoffing slightly, Sakura took a step back.

"I'm just here to help." Sakura calmly replied, although her steely glare definitely reached the girl.

"Karin, let her do her job." Jugo's hand touched Karin's shoulder. The bespectacled girl seemed to be attached to Sasuke as she watched Sakura closely.

"What is he doing here?" Sakura remarked quietly, looking at the vital signs. Only a week ago, Sasuke was in the psych ward, and today, he was beaten. Once again, the three kids looked at each other as if communicating with each other furtively.

"There was a slight accident." Suigetsu sniped, finally breaking the clumsy silence that had formed in the room. Sakura nodded her head slowly, deciding to finally leave the room. Walking out slowly, Sakura thought she heard the trio say something along the lines of:

"We have to be more careful next time. If we hadn't gotten him out, he would have died."

* * *

"I'm surprised you came on time," Sakura icily started when she arrived at the library only to see Naruto napping on a table. As he rubbed his eyes to awaken himself (and to wipe the small puddle of drool that had dripped from his mouth), Hinata entered the library as well, taking a seat beside Sakura.

"Look, this is just stupid, okay? Let me fail." Naruto grumbled, leaning back in his chair and distracting himself with the wide windows that opened the view to the blue sky.

"B-But, d-don't you need to pass?" Hinata urged as politely as she could, looking at Sakura for help. Sakura rolled her eyes, although her intuition was beginning to kick in again. Trying to act as natural as possible, Sakura opened her bag and stared at the AP Calculus textbook that sat on top of her biology textbook.

What if she was right? What if Naruto was actually in trouble? How would Sakura even respond? Would she tell Shizune or Tsunade?

"Earth to Forehead Monster," Naruto waved his hand in Sakura's face, "I'm awake now."

"First," Sakura decided to just pull out her biology textbook, "if you call me that one more time, I swear I will leave right now. Second, where are your notes?!" Hinata took the moment to also pull out her notebook which was slightly more organized than Sakura's. Mentally berating herself for not being as organized, Sakura made a note to file through her notes.

"Uh, I don't take notes." Naruto scoffed, as if Sakura had asked him a dumb question. Groaning loudly, Sakura tried her best to stay calm. One side of her believed Naruto was just deflecting; he was afraid of showing weakness, so he would show arrogance instead. Another side of her wanted to punch Naruto so hard that he—

"D-Do you think that's a good idea, Sakura?" Hinata squeaked. Naruto and Hinata looked at Sakura closely as the pink-haired girl realized that she had drifted away into her thoughts again. Blushing slightly, Sakura pushed back some loose strands of hair and giggled weakly.

"Sorry, could you repeat that? It was rough today in the E.R." Sakura sheepishly smiled, although inside she felt as dumb as ever. Why did she have to make herself seem so dumb?

"M-Maybe we could help Naruto by making the concepts more applicable to him?" Hinata suggested quietly, furtively eyeing the athletic blond. "Sometimes, that helps me."

"I mean, I'm sure I can relate to the human body systems shit because I—"

"Please, don't finish that sentence." Sakura uttered as a dull, throbbing feeling started to form in her head. While she was trying to concentrate on Naruto, constant images of a bruised raven-haired boy flooded her mind.

"Can we review this mitosis shit then? It makes no sense." Naruto mumbled, his brow furrowing as he roughly opened his textbook to an arbitrary page. Hinata and Sakura shared a look that read 'Thank goodness,' as they prepared themselves mentally for another two hours with the defiant blond.

"So Naruto, can you explain to me what the four phases in mitosis are?" Sakura read aloud from her notes, eyeing Naruto from the tip of her paper. Hinata blushed slightly as she mustered up the courage to give Naruto a hint.

"Think of P-M-A-T." Hinata kindly suggested, hope filling her vision as Naruto held his head between his hands. For a moment, Sakura thought he was going to answer her when he opened his mouth.

"P-M-A-T kinda sounds like 'he fat.'" Naruto chuckled to himself, earning a loud groan from the pink-haired tutor. Sakura bit her lip, trying to think of a way to teach Naruto. Hinata suddenly jumped when her phone rang. Quickly taking the call, Hinata walked away and answered the call as quietly as she could.

"I'm like a pimp, y'know? Two girls with one guy?" Naruto leaned back in his chair, grinning at Sakura.

"You're more like an idiot, since you need two tutors." Sakura muttered although she regretted it when she saw a flicker of hurt flash across his face. Noticing that Hinata was in a deep conversation with whoever was calling her, Sakura seized the opportunity to reveal her trick for memorizing mitotic division.

"Prophase is when three activities occur simultaneously," Sakura quickly glared at Naruto, forcing him to write down everything she was saying, "First, the nucleoli disappear and the chromatin condenses into chromosomes. Second, the nuclear envelope breaks down. Third, the mitotic spindle is assembled." Sakura lectured Naruto as quickly as she could so she could explain to him how she memorized that.

"It's like when," Sakura took a deep breath, "I wrote my paper on cellular biology, you did your wind project and _he_ did his thermodynamic project." Naruto stopped writing for a moment and inspected Sakura, as if she was a fraud. But when the two shared no words, Sakura decided it was time to continue.

"Metaphase is begins when the chromosomes are distributed across the metaphase plate, a plane lying between the two poles of the spindle. Metaphase ends when the microtubules, still attached to the kinetochores, pull each chromosome apart into two chromatids. Each chromatid is complete with a centromere and a kinetochore. Once separated from its sister chromatid, each chromatid is called a chromosome." Sakura explained somewhat slower, noticing that Naruto was paying more attention.

"Imagine it like when you, _him_, and I were friends. When we used to go out together, and we were connected." Sakura hummed somewhat despondently, noticing that Naruto hadn't said a word since her first metaphor. Growing some more confidence, Sakura continued.

"Anaphase begins after the chromosomes are separated into chromatids. During anaphase, the microtubules connected to the chromatids shorten, effectively pulling the chromosomes to opposite poles. The microtubules shorten as tubulin units are uncoupled at their chromosome ends. At the end of anaphase, each pole has a complete set of chromosomes, the same number of chromosomes as the original cell." Sakura lectured, staying quiet for a moment. Naruto finally looked up at her.

"And how do I remember this?" Naruto quietly asked, looking back down at his paper. Sakura fought back the urge to let some tears streak down her face like they did that night.

"It's like when _he_ left. We were all separated, and our friendship was shortened and ended, pulling us to opposite ends of the school."

"What about the T?" Naruto breathed quietly, leaving Sakura to guess that his heart was thumping as quickly as hers was.

"Telophase concludes the nuclear division. During this phase, a nuclear envelope develops around each pole, forming two nuclei. The chromosomes within each of these nuclei disperse into chromatin, and the nucleoli reappear." Sakura elaborated, looking directly at Naruto as he scribbled as much information as he could.

"It's like when you and I were so separated from each other that we set up wall around ourselves, and then we blended into the rest of the cell—I mean, school." Naruto spoke in a low voice, as if afraid someone would hear him. Sakura nodded slowly.

From the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed Hinata hesitantly approaching the group. She looked at Naruto before looking at Sakura. Playing with the ends of her hoodie, Hinata mumbled something incoherent. When Naruto asked her to repeat it again, Hinata blushed fervently.

"Neji's interning at the Hyuuga legal firm," Hinata quickly explained her cousin's internship as vaguely as she could, "and he told me that he overheard something about, um, Sasuke."

The silence that invaded the trio was not heard, for Sakura could only hear her heart beating loudly and violently. Looking at the stunned face of Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura supposed it was the same.

"Sasuke's in some legal trouble, and Neji told me to tell you two so that you would stay away in case he approached one of you…" Hinata cleared her throat. Sakura noticed Naruto's fist clenching, while her own fists paled. She was not strong enough like Naruto to remain angry; she was afraid, especially after she saw Sasuke's bruised body.

"Do you know what happened?" Sakura somehow managed to ask, her voice becoming husky.

"Sasuke's being charged with assault," Hinata explained, "and the case is being filed by his brother, Itachi." Nodding her head slowly, Sakura decided that she had to leave; she couldn't be around this situation any longer. As she grabbed her backpack and tried to slip her textbook inside, her AP Calculus textbook slipped out onto the table.

"AP Calc?" Naruto raised his eyebrow, "didn't you take that last year?" Sakura nodded and mumbled something about having to return it.

"Uh, can I have it? I have a friend who needs it. They're, uh, failing math and, uh, their science class." In that moment, Sakura's heart shattered. Her worst nightmares were coming true. Naruto was breaking, and Sasuke was literally broken.

All the while, Sakura was nearly gone.


	5. Makes Me Wanna Die

**Wings Made Of Words**

Chapter 5: Makes Me Wanna Die

A/N: You guys are honestly so amazing. I really am so glad I decided to muster up the courage to post this story—I'm so happy that you all like the story. I love love love reading your reviews and your feedback, and I just want to ensure that you enjoy this story as much as possible. If, at any time, you feel unsure about the direction in which this story is heading, please free to let me know. Additionally, as a warning:

THIS CHAPTER MAY TRIGGER SOME SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. IF YOU FEEL TRIGGERED OR UPSET BY ANY OF THE DIALOGUE IN THIS CHAPTER, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CALL YOUR NATIONAL SUCIIDE HOTLINE OR IF YOU JUST WANT TO VENT, PLEASE TALK TO SOMEONE. (My inbox is open to anyone who wants to just vent or get advice.)

* * *

"_I can see in your eyes, your eyes: you make me wanna die. I'll never be good enough"_

"I didn't realize I was _forced_ to see annoying visitors." Sakura watched Sasuke scowl at her from behind a glass window. Rolling her eyes, Sakura straightened her back and watched the raven haired boy closely.

"You're Sasuke Uchiha," Sakura muttered, "the embodiment of perfection." She combed back some of her pink hair, continuing to observe the scowling prisoner.

After Sakura abruptly left her tutoring session with Naruto and Hinata (promising Hinata to repay her for finishing the session), she found herself standing outside the Konoha Juvenile Correctional Facility. After a long internal debate with an inner voice, Sakura decided to walk inside and throw around Tsunade's name until she was granted access to see Sasuke. It was a bad move, but Sakura had to see him. She had just seen him earlier that morning, bruised and beaten like a ragdoll.

"Why do you bother to tell me these irrelevant pieces of information?" Sasuke mumbled. "You know, I bet you could tell your doctor to give you more pills. I'm stuck in here, so it's not like I'll accidentally save you again." Sakura flinched at Sasuke's use of the word 'accidentally.' What did that mean?

"…Did you know it was me?" Sakura muttered. She looked down slightly when she heard a haughty laugh from Sasuke.

"Who else has obnoxious pink hair?" Sasuke's words stung Sakura, but she remained steadfast. She was no longer Sasuke's puppy, eagerly waiting for his affection. She had to be stronger. Sakura couldn't let the boy control her anymore.

After all, that's why she was here, wasn't it? That nagging voice inside of her mind kept on pushing her to visit Sasuke, as if she was a detective that needed to solve a mystery. But she didn't even know what the mystery was—or if there was even one. All she knew was that suddenly, a glass veneer was shattered around her: her two former best friends were falling, and she had to save them. She had to pay them back for all that they gave her.

"So you wanted to save me?" Sakura slowly drawled out the words, leaning forward. She realized that she was playing with fire, but she had no other choice. One afternoon, while studying in Tsunade's office, Sakura listened as her mentor explained her experience with a patient who had contracted a yeast infection (and while Sakura was surely not keen on the specifics, she did respectfully listen).

"Symptoms will get worse before they get better oftentimes," Tsunade had explained as she took her afternoon shot of whiskey, "the die-off of yeast cells, for instance, can cause a lot of the tired and fatigued feeling that patients often complain about having."

And so, keeping in mind the words that her mentor had imparted to her, Sakura stared at the handsome boy in front of her. Even with his rugged good looks, Sasuke managed to come across as a complete asshole.

"No." Sasuke looked away for a moment. "Consider it a debt repaid." It was Sakura's turn to be taken aback; what had Sakura ever done for the boy?

"Is this still about the science fair in middle school…?" Sakura pondered aloud, knitting her eyebrows together as she interrogated the young prisoner.

"No." Sasuke merely muttered. Despite Sakura's protests, Sasuke refused to say anything more. Leaning back in her chair, and watching a guard closely, Sakura asked the question that had been burning on her mind:

"I don't know if your friends told you," Sakura breathed, "but I saw you in the emergency room this morning. This time you weren't there for suicidal ideations, but because you were heavily injured. Then, I heard from Neji that you're being charged for assault." Watching for any change in the porcelain skin, Sakura was not surprised to see a poker face mask Sasuke's features.

"Oh." Sasuke simply said, looking straight at Sakura as if testing her to read further into his emotions. Sakura bit her lips, as the two continued to stare off at each other.

"Sasuke," Sakura leaned forward although her hand was blocked by the glass wall that was set up between the two, "I promised to help you those years ago. I still can." Inside, Sakura was pleading. Something was burning inside of her as she wanted to prove her worth to the one enigma who still managed to haunt her like a parasite.

"Heh," Sasuke muttered, "you're still as useless as ever." With that, Sasuke nodded to the guard and left. Sakura was left, dumbfounded. Wiping the tears that appeared on her eyes, Sakura marched outside the correctional facility and scrambled around her purse for her car keys. She tried to hold all of her tears in, but it was of no use; Sasuke continued to remind her of how purposeless she was.

Naruto, despite his imminent breaking, had so much going for him. Sakura hated to admit it, but Naruto was possibly the hardest-working idiot she knew. So many people commended him on his athletic abilities, his improved grade point average, and certain people gave him accolades for standing strong against the serial killer, Kyuubi.

Hinata, despite her demure nature, was gifted. She was from a rich and powerful family in Konoha, and could choose any career that simply interested her. Like Naruto, Hinata worked hard. For so many years, Sakura heard about how her father would discard her like a piece of garbage for her prodigious sister and gifted cousin until one day, Hinata came home with a perfect PSAT score—something not even Neji could have accomplished.

Shikamaru, despite his awful work ethic, was the smartest person in the school. Sakura could tell how effortlessly he could score higher than Sakura even if she elected to spend all night studying. No matter how hard Sakura tried, he would always trump her. To rub in the envy, Shikamaru was rumored to have accumulated enough credits to graduate early from college.

Then there was Ino Yamanaka, Sakura's archrival. Smart, beautiful, and manipulative. Ino was everything Sakura wanted to be. Sakura always knew that deep down inside, if Ino had been put into that science fair group, she would have won Sasuke's heart. Ino probably could have persuaded Sasuke to stay, whereas Sakura failed to do even that.

Finally, like a dying cherry blossom, Sakura drifted in the wind carelessly. She was not perfect: she was not the top student, she was not an athlete, she was nowhere near as attractive, and she had no family to fall back upon for support. Tsunade and Shizune seemed to dote on her, but Sakura felt that they could have always gotten a better protégé if they had simply looked.

Sniffing, Sakura walked toward her car but stopped when she suddenly heard a familiar, callous laugh.

"I know he's in prison, Sasori." Sakura heard a voice that almost sounded like Sasuke's, "where else do you think I am? " Sakura, pretending not to hear anything, pulled out her phone and sat in her car. Looking around, Sakura nearly ducked when she noticed him:

Itachi Uchiha was sitting across the parking lot, talking on his cell-phone.

Sakura had never heard much about Itachi from Sasuke, other than the fact that he truly was the embodiment of perfect. Whereas Sasuke had a massive fanclub, Itachi was fawned upon by every single being. Whereas Sasuke received a perfect score, Itachi had managed to score extra credit. Somehow, Sasuke always ended up in the shadow to his brother.

So why was Itachi Uchiha waiting outside a prison? Why was Itachi Uchiha in Konoha, talking to a very familiar name?

"Sasori, I think we'll be postponing Operation Sabaku." Itachi muttered into his receiver. Sakura's eyes as she suddenly recalled where she had heard Sasori's name before:

"_Hey, doll," Sakura had looked up from her clipboard and had smiled at the patient, even though she had been slightly mollified by his nickname for her. He had wide brown eyes and short, red hair, and a very apathetic face. For a moment, Sakura had thought he was hiding something beneath his blanket but then everything seemed normal again. _

"_Is there anything I can do for you, Mr…" Sakura looked back down at her list of patients, "Mr. Sasori?" The man shook his head after a quick moment, instead closing his eyes and seemingly falling back asleep. Sakura blinked a few times, as if making sure she wasn't hallucinating._

Sakura scratched her head a few times, trying to recall the other time she had heard of Sasori:

_She had been glad that the four-hour shift was almost over and decided to spend extra time cleaning the empty room beside that creeper—Mr. Sasori, Sakura had remembered his name—instead of visiting him. Besides, from what Sakura had overheard, he had been a somewhat regular patient since he often cut himself while making puppets as a hobby. _

"…_I know, Deidara. I know the plan. Why else do you think I nearly cut off my finger?" Sakura, who had been wiping numerous circles around the empty bed with her antibacterial wipe, paused. The voice had sounded like Mr. Sasori's, but it was much more sinister. Besides, he wasn't supposed to be using his cell-phone in the emergency room. But what Sakura had heard next caught her off guard:_

"_He's in the emergency room too, I know. I'm not going to tell Itachi, no, you idiot. Do you think I want to be killed? We have to execute our plan perfectly. Operation Sabaku will commence—I have to go." Sakura had heard Mr. Sasori quickly ending the phone call as a nurse was about to make her way into his room. Sakura stood there, stunned._

_Itachi, from what Sakura had remembered at the time, was Sasuke's older brother. He was an extremely famous athlete among Konoha until he left. Then, Sakura had recognized the last name 'Sabaku,' which was Gaara's last name. He was a creepy classmate of hers, and so Sakura knew very little of him other than the fact that his father was an ambassador from a foreign country._

Shaking her head to stir out the memories, Sakura ignited the engine of her car and drove home as fast as she could to try and immerse herself in the Cold War going on at her house to distract herself from everything.

* * *

When Sakura reached home however, she was surprised to see not a Cold War, but a World War occurring inside of her house. Her mother was screaming expletives at her drunken father. The commotion was so loud that Sakura immediately closed the door and walked back outside. After finding out that Naruto was near a breaking point, but too proud to get help; after becoming addicted to Sasuke's caustic remarks and after becoming so keen on distracting herself from her own problems, Sakura had to run.

She had to feel a burn that would take her away from everything else. And so, taking in the cold air, Sakura ran.

She ran along the path that Sasuke had confronted her on. She ran along the path that she had chased the bus those years ago to reach the Sound Academy Magnet School. She ran along the path that she had cried upon her failed chemistry grade.

Sakura could mentally calculate her oxygen saturation as she ran, but she tried not to think of anything at all. The irony, however, lying in the fact that the harder she tried to _not_ think, the stronger the thoughts arrived with vengeance.

Her vision started to become blurry, although the pink-haired high school student did her best to wipe away these invasive tears. In her path, however, Sakura bumped into yet another individual. Cursing her luck, Sakura hissed as she felt her scraped knee.

"What?! Are you blind or something—Sakura?!" Sakura froze. Turning around, she noticed Ino Yamanaka huffing above her with puffy red cheeks and a black bruise shining across her face.

"I-Ino?" Sakura sputtered, rising from the cold sidewalk. Ino rolled her eyes and leaned back on a foot as she tittered, shaking her head condescendingly at the high school student.

"How unfortunate," Ino giggled, "that I have to see you on a simple walk."

"Whatever." Sakura murmured, rolling her eyes and turning away. Unfortunately, Ino grabbed her shoulder and forced the girl to look at her. It was then Sakura swore she noticed that Ino's eyes were puffy, as if she had been crying.

"No! You do not get to turn away from me when I'm talking to you!" Ino yelled, clenching her fists. Sakura rolled her eyes, but Ino continued to lambast her.

"Why do you even exist anyways? No one even likes you! You have a giant forehead, obnoxious pink hair, and guess what? You _drove_ Sasuke out of this town." Ino mirthlessly chuckled, shaking her head again. "I also heard a rumor that you didn't get into Hidden—"

"Ino, don't." Sakura clenched her fists. She was trying to preoccupy herself with the shiny bruise on Ino's face, but her blood started to boil. It was as if her day was spiraling out of control, with Sasuke, Naruto, and Ino pulling her in a myriad of different directions. No matter how hard she tried, Sakura couldn't pull away from their incessant, toxic drama.

A part of her, however, enjoyed it. It made her feel _alive_ and _acknowledged_.

"Why? You have nothing else going for you anyways. Are your parents still fighting?" Ino laughed cruelly, shoving Sakura's shoulder. What made Ino even more powerful was that she would not waste her breath on throwing insults if she knew they wouldn't land where it hurt most. Somehow, Ino was able to read a person better than Sakura could have ever hoped to do. Without even spending a single breath talking to them, Ino had the power to reduce them to a miserable, nervous wreck.

"Ino, I'm serious…" Sakura inhaled sharply. She tried to calm herself by reciting biological facts:

_From my nose or mouth, air will go to my pharynx, nasopharnyx, and oropharynx. Then, it'll lead to my larynx, then to my trachea, then my left and right mainstem bronchi, then to my right and left lungs that have the intrapulmonary bronchi, then to my bronchioles then to my alve— _Sakura's thoughts were interrupted as Ino suddenly screamed loudly, her shrill voice breaking through Sakura's thoughts. Sakura was pushed back onto the ground by the blonde girl as they fought against each other on the cold, hard sidewalk.

"Ino!?" Sakura screamed, trying to push the girl off of her. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Oh shut up, Sakura!" Ino retorted, several tears falling from her face, "stop trying to be the victim!"

"Get off me, you bitch!" Sakura shrieked, sliding as Ino tried to land another punch on her face. Taking advantage of the blonde girl's disposition, Sakura pushed her off of her.

"Come on!" Ino sobbed on the ground. "Beat me up! Just do it, for fucking Kami's sake!" Sakura's brow furrowed as she watched her former best friend collapse on the ground. It had to be a dream: in what world would Ino Yamanaka break down completely.

"Ino…" Sakura crouched back down on the ground. "Who gave you that bruise?" Sakura wiped away some tears from the blonde girl's face, only to be pushed off again.

"Listen, forehead freak," Ino hiccupped as she wiped her tears, "you mention this to anyone, and I will ruin you." Sakura was dumbfounded as Ino jogged away, her heavy sobs still ringing in Sakura's ear. A million thoughts were running through Sakura's mind:

Why was Ino hurt and upset? Why was she itching to get hurt even more? Who had given her that bruise?

Deciding to head back home, Sakura wished only for the day to be over as she entered her comfortable bed and avoided becoming collateral to her parent's war.

* * *

That Sunday, Sakura stayed in her room all day. Barely sneaking downstairs to warm some toast for herself, Sakura decided to spend the day to herself. Naturally, as she made these plans, she received an urgent text message from Shizune, asking if she could take a caller on the hotline. Looking at her unfinished homework, Sakura shrugged. It would help her feel better if she could focus on someone else rather than herself; after all, she couldn't be selfish.

Grabbing her laptop and logging onto the hotline, Sakura waited as the familiar dashboard appeared. Surprised, Sakura noticed at least seven different volunteers online who were all currently in a chat. There were several different callers in the queue, and Sakura quickly took one without waiting for Shizune.

**Blossom328:** Hello, how may I help you?

Sakura waited as the anonymous user started to type. Slightly wondering if Naruto would return to the hotline, Sakura waited as the anonymous user seemed to type out a paragraph.

**Anonymous:** I can't do this anymore. I can't keep on living this lie, no matter how hard I try. I'm nothing special, just average. I have a lot of like dreams, but no one cares about me. One of my best friends is a prodigy at this Ivy League and my other best friend is this college athlete. What am I? Just useless. I'm not pretty, and it's not like anyone will like me anyways. I don't know what else to do.

Sakura felt a pang of guilt race through her body: she could empathize with this caller. Brushing back some of her moist hair, Sakura started her customary reply.

**Blossom328:** Before we go any further I would like to check in about some safety and privacy concerns.

Would that be alright?

**Anonymous:** Fine.

Sakura was somewhat worried as the caller replied as instantaneously as they did. It was as if they really needed to talk to someone.

**Blossom328:** Just in case you get disconnected for any reason, I encourage you to go back to the waiting

room to be reconnected. Are you in a safe place right now?

**Anonymous:** Okay and yes.

**Blossom328:** Good. Do you have any questions or concerns about computer safety or privacy issues? If you are worried that someone may be monitoring your computer use, I suggest you find a

safer computer or use the phone instead.

**Anonymous:** No.

**Blossom328:** Thank you for reviewing this safety and privacy information. If you have other questions or

concerns please let me know at any time. You mentioned that you were feeling upset?

**Anonymous:** There's nothing going for me right now. What's the point of even staying alive?

It was then Sakura received a pop-up message from Shizune.

**SupervisorShizune:** Sakura, talk them through the prompt that we discussed during training.

Sakura nodded her head as she typed an affirmation to Shizune. Pulling up her notes, Sakura started to type as quickly as she could. Before she finished replying, however, Shizune sent her another message:

**SupervisorShizune:** Remember, asking about suicidal ideation cannot cause someone to become suicidal but it may very well help someone who is suicidal to talk about their thoughts and get help.

Sakura thanked Shizune again as she sent her reply and waited for the caller to reply. Her heart was racing as the caller stopped typing.

**Blossom328:** Do you have a plan? If so, what's your plan?

**Anonymous:** Yeah, honestly, I have a kunai beside me. I'm a martial artist, not like I'm a good one.

Sakura closed her eyes and remembered the training Shizune had taught her to deal with suicidal callers. Ignoring her racing heart, Sakura continued to type as if to assure the caller that she was still there. The next step was to consider how lethal the mean that they've chosen, and to consider the availability. A kunai seemed dangerous enough, especially if it was right beside the caller.

**Blossom328:** I just want you to know that I care. And because I care, I want to ask if you if there is anyone nearby who can help you. What about your two friends that you mentioned earlier?

**Anonymous:** My friend is in his dorm. But I don't want to talk to him. I just want to die.

Sakura closed her eyes and breathed. This conversation was becoming intense, but Sakura had to prevail. If she messed up, she felt as if this caller was too close to the edge.

**Blossom328:** Maybe we can put the kunai away, although if you feel as if you will hurt self regardless, perhaps you could call the police.

**Anonymous:** NO.

Sakura was taken aback by the veracious response. Shizune messaged her, telling Sakura to remain calm and that she was on her side to help.

**Blossom328:** Would you like to perhaps elaborate the problem with me? We can find a way to make you feel better, how does that sound?

**Anonymous:** No, you're lying. You don't actually care. No one cares.

**Blossom328:** I do not want you to die. We can talk about this.

**Anonymous:** Stop lying! No one actually cares about me!

Knowing that inducing guilt in the caller was the last resort, Sakura took a deep breath and slowly types her response.

**Blossom328:** It is very important to me that you agree to this. It would really make me feel better.

Sakura waited for a reply, and continued to watch the screen. A minute somehow crept by, despite feeling like an eternity. Sakura needed to know if the caller would be alright. They _had_ to be alright.

**Anonymous:** Have you ever felt like this before?

Sakura was stunned. Shizune gently reminded her on the dashboard that it was against the policy of the hotline to disclose any personal information, but Sakura felt an obligation to do so. This caller needed to be saved.

**Blossom328:** Yes, but there's hope. We can talk more about it, if you promise to put down any object that could hurt you.

Shizune wasn't pleased, but she let Sakura continue with the conversation.

Sakura gulped, as she watched the caller type, then stop typing, then type again, then stop typing, then type again until it became a mechanical nightmare. Sakura's heart started to beat violently against her ribs as she waited for the caller to respond.

**Anonymous:** You're lying. You don't want to help me.

**Blossom328:** Yes I do. I do care and I do want to help you.

**Anonymous:** No, that's what they all say. You don't actually want to help me. You're going to make fun of me and laugh at how weak I am once we finish this conversation.

Feeling herself at the edge of crying, Sakura sniffed loudly. She was beginning to feel sick, as if a vortex was opening around her and sucking her into this dark and desolate surrounding. She wanted to escape, but if she did, this caller couldn't be saved.

**Blossom328:** I will not make fun of you or talk about you. Simply, by coming onto the hotline, you have exhibited strength and perseverance. I commend you for that.

**Anonymous:** lol yeah right, I know I'm weak and pathetic.

**Blossom328:** You mentioned that you felt weak and pathetic compared to your other friends. I'm sure you have some strengths that really make you stand out. You mentioned that you were in martial arts?

**Anonymous:** Yeah, but I'll never be good enough.

**Blossom328:** You seem quite talented already, especially if you're at a college.

**Anonymous:** You're lying.

**Blossom328:** Please try to understand that I am here to help you. I want to listen, but I am afraid that you might hurt yourself.

**Anonymous:** No one would actually care. You're just pretending to care.

Sakura finally noticed that tears were streaming down her face. Shizune was assuring Sakura that she was doing fine, but that the caller was naturally upset.

**Blossom328:** I know life can be difficult, and it sucks being a teenager. I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I'm a teenager just like you. I know it's hard, but you're stronger than this. You can make it through.

Receiving a message from Shizune, Sakura was surprised to see that Shizune was going to let that one slide. The caller seemed to pause before typing again.

**Anonymous:** Thank you for trying.

Sakura's heart nearly stopped when the caller ended the chat. Shizune assured Sakura that she did her best, but that the caller was angry and upset and was not willing to listen to Sakura.

Her phone rang, but Sakura was too stunned to do anything. What was about to happen?! Her heart was beating so fast that Sakura felt as if she was about to vomit. Politely signing off of the computer, Sakura looked over at her desk and saw a sharp razor on the edge. It would just take one slice and…

Grabbing her phone, Sakura dialed a number she had memorized by heart now. Placing the phone against her face, Sakura sobbed until she heard the line being answered.

"I need you right now," Sakura wept, "I'm sorry but I need you. I can't do this by myself, I'm sorry."


	6. Grenade

**Wings Made Of Words**

Chapter 6: Grenade

A/N: I am so blown back by all of the nice things you guys have been saying about _Wings Made of Words_! I really do appreciate it! Thank you so much for taking time of your day to read my story. I apologize for the long break in between the previous chapter and this chapter. Although classes are starting in a week, I'll do my best to update on a weekly basis.

I hope you guys continue to enjoy the story. As a note, I wanted to just say that we'll slowly (and finally lol) be transitioning from Sakura's insecurities to a larger plot that is fueled by each of the main characters. Her insecurities will still be a prevalent theme, but I just wanted to let you guys know. I look forward to reading your comments!

* * *

"_I'd catch a grenade for you; throw my hand on a blade for you. I'd jump in front of a train for you. You know I'd do anything for you."_

"I'm sorry," Sakura sniffed, leaning against the door of her bathroom. She pushed her head against the wooden door, a stinging feeling overcoming her sore eyes. The window of her bedroom bellowed loudly as a sharp influx of wind threatened to scatter all of Sakura's carefully placed knick-knacks.

"I…I didn't know." Sakura heard. A dull throbbing pain entered her abnormally large forehead as she ducked down again, resting her head against her arms.

"I'm sorry." Sakura muttered, breathing heavily. She shouldn't have called him. She shouldn't have wasted his time or bothered him. Why did she have to be so weak?

"Sakura," Sakura refused to meet his eyes, "stop saying you're sorry. You don't actually have anything to be sorry about." Hearing this almost made Sakura feel sick.

"I'm so weak." Sakura breathed. "I can't do anything ri—"

"Sakura, stop it." Sakura saw him crouch in front of her. "Are you freaking kidding me? You're a freaking genius. I mean, I can tell you the entire cell cycle from heart because of this afternoon." Looking up, Sakura saw Naruto's electric blue eyes staring directly at her.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing," Naruto groaned, shifting his weight and sitting beside Sakura against the bathroom door, "I've been the craptastic friend." There was a moment of silence that was broken by Sakura's mom slamming the front door and revving the engine of her car.

"Your parents fight?" Naruto seemed surprised, scrunching up his face. Sakura merely shrugged, shivering slightly from the close proximity. Mere hours ago, the two were still foes on opposite sides of the cellular spindle. Suddenly, they were joined together again as if mitosis was reversing unnaturally.

"You didn't have to come." Sakura chuckled weakly, wiping her eyes instinctively.

"Sakura," Naruto laughed heartily, "I don't think it's easy to get ignore a phone call from the girl I used to worship, literally." There was a weak chuckle shared by the two as Naruto scooted closer to Sakura.

"I used to be so mean to you." Sakura giggled. "I probably gave you more bruises than soccer practice did." Naruto agreed for a moment, rubbing his elbow. When Sakura looked affronted, Naruto laughed again, claiming that he was joking.

"If anything, I'm glad you always rejected me," Naruto confessed, "it only pushed me to be better and look at me today. I'm freaking sexy." Sakura paused for a moment, as if wondering if Naruto actually said that aloud. When Naruto looked completely serious, Sakura's smile widened.

"And don't cut yourself short," Naruto continued talking, "you're also the one who showed me that it's not just about being the best. Whenever we were around _him_, he always put us down. You never once took a step back, even though you clearly wanted his D."

"What are you talking about?!" Sakura's jaw dropped, turning around to face the blond who looked triumphant. His smirk made Sakura blush even more.

"Sakura," Naruto laughed, "the only person who didn't realize that you liked him was _him_." Sakura blush intensified, as she didn't realize how desperate she looked. As if reading her mind, Naruto laughed and shook his head.

"You were not thirsty, I promise you. It was just amusing that he didn't even notice," Naruto shrugged, "almost made think he was gay." Sakura scoffed again, crossing her arms.

"_He_ is not gay." Sakura announced, steadfast in her belief. Naruto snorted, although he backed off from his offensive stance and leaned back against the door. Naruto closed his eyes and hummed for a moment, as if he was deep in thought. Knowing her once former-friend-turned-adversary-turned-somewhat-fri end-again, Sakura guessed that the blond was most likely thinking of something completely off topic. It made Naruto appear almost as if he had an attention deficit disorder.

"So what happened exactly?" Naruto finally asked, surprising Sakura. She had been wrong: Naruto _had_ been thinking of something on topic. Had he matured in the short amount of time they had spent away from each other? Then again, Sakura pondered, nearly four years wasn't exactly a short amount of time.

"It's complicated." Sakura answered instinctively. Naruto gawked at her, as if Sakura was speaking a different language. While _this_ (whatever it was) was nice, Sakura was having trouble again opening up. What if Naruto were to ditch her again, and leave her alone in a swirling abyss of despair and desolation?

"Trust me," Naruto chuckled, "considering my life, nothing's complicated." Sakura shrugged, thinking about what the blond was saying. All of his life, Naruto had been through so much: a serial killer murdering his father, his mother dying in the hospital while he was born, and people assuming he was somehow inauspicious and ominous.

Then again, Sakura thought about how selfish she was. Who was she to complain about her life when everyone else had it so much worse? Sasuke lived with a father who expected him to be as perfect as his older brother; Naruto lived against the townspeople and worked for every ounce of respect he had earned; and Hinata, her best friend, had to work so hard to even please her father, let alone her entire family. Why did Sakura always have to be so selfish and focus only on herself?

"Earth to Sakura!" Naruto nearly smacked Sakura's face as he waved his hand in front of her, "you didn't take any like drugs or anything, did you?"

"No, you idiot." Sakura crossly responded. For a moment, Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, mentally reliving their middle school memories with _him_ in them.

"Sakura, in all seriousness," Naruto sighed, "what happened?" Sakura closed her eyes and pondered if she should tell Naruto about how she felt: about how much she hated herself for being selfish; about how much she hated herself for not being good enough; about how much she hated herself for not being strong enough to stop _him_; about how much she hated herself for not being as pretty as Ino, as gentle as Hinata, as smart as Shikamaru, or as hard-working as Naruto.

"I'm fine." Sakura smiled, gently drumming the carpet beneath her with her fingers. Naruto watched Sakura's face for a moment, but Sakura assured him that she was fine. Her beating heart made it hard for her to convince Naruto, but she ultimately succeeded.

"Well," Naruto scratched the back of his head, "if ya need anything, just hit me up, okay?" Sakura nodded slowly as the two former-friends-turned-adversaries-turned-somewhat- friends-again rose up, stretching for a moment to let the clumsy silence make its rounds in the room.

"Sakura, in all seriousness though, don't hesitate to talk to me." Naruto's voice lowered as he held onto Sakura's shoulders, staring at her. Sakura felt a loud, shrill voice cackling inside of her:

"Yeah right! The moment you open up, he'll realize how annoying and weak you are! Why would he want to be your friend?" Sakura heard the voice within her mind scream. Closing her eyes, Sakura tried to silence the voice by nodding as quickly as she could.

"And look," Naruto grinned as he took a step back, "I'm done chasing after being the hottest kid in school, because I already know I got it. From now on, it's gonna be us again, okay? I'm gonna pass biology and calc, and we'll graduate together! Besides, aren't you going to HLU?" Naruto's head cocked slightly as he leaned against her wall, hands inside his pockets. Several pangs of guilt and remorse filled Sakura as she weakly smiled, shaking her head. She also heard Naruto mumble about passing calculus and felt horrid about how she knew his secret.

"I was waitliste—"

"What?!" Naruto nearly shrieked, his eyes growing the size of tennis balls. Sakura would have giggled if the situation wasn't about her bleak her future looked.

"I mean, I'm not the best student or anyth—"

"Sakura, you're a freaking genius! How did you not get in, but Shikamaru did even though he just smokes all day!?" Naruto rambled, scrunching up his face as if expecting Sakura to suddenly start laughing and admitting that she was joking.

"It's a long story," Sakura felt wary as they were entering dangerous territory. One wrong word would alert Naruto that Sakura was the caller on the hotline who had talked to him, and thus, Sakura knew she had to pick her words carefully. "But maybe we can talk tomorrow during lunch? Hinata and I can finish up our lesson."

"Sounds good," Naruto headed toward Sakura's window and smiled, "and it's nice to have a friend who actually cares about me passing, and who knows I'm the hottest dude around." Before Sakura could protest, Naruto tipped his hand toward her and hopped off from her window to the ground. It wasn't a short fall, but it was easy enough for someone like Naruto with his lithe body and long limbs.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Sakura smiled. For the first time in a _long_ time, Sakura could actually smile at herself.

* * *

During lunch, Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto managed to squeeze a lesson and some enjoyment into one hour. To make things more interesting, Naruto suggested setting up a gameboard with questions to help motivate Naruto. Hinata creatively drew out a table with five rows and five columns with five different categories: CELLULAR BIOLOGY, PHYSIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, and GENETICS. Each column had five questions worth different amount of points: 100 points, 200 points, 300 points, 400 points, and 500 points.

Sakura and Hinata promised to buy Naruto a bowl of ramen for each 300 points the boy earned. Serving as fuel, Naruto somehow managed to answer enough questions to accrue 900 points without using one of his lifelines. By that time, however, lunch had ended. Hinata offered to buy the ramen for Naruto, much to Sakura's surprise. Shrugging, Sakura agreed. She had to volunteer on the hotline after school anyways.

"See ya later, Sakura!" Naruto waved as he walked out of the empty classroom with Hinata. Smiling, Sakura walked to Tsunade's office to help out during her free period. She would often help Tsunade answer emails, file paperwork, or just simply listen to the woman rant about how corrupt the school board was (all the while Tsunade was buying lottery tickets online).

When Sakura walked into the office, after greeting the secretaries, the first thing the rosette noticed was that Vice-Principal Danzo Shimura was absent. His door was closed, although the cold feeling from his dark office pervaded the office. While Tsunade was in charge of the school, Danzo definitely held clout. Students often avoided misbehaving in fear of being sent to his office.

"Sakura," Tsunade beckoned her protégé to close the door as she pulled out a bottle of whiskey, "I need you to make some copies for me and then leave this report on Danzo's desk. I have to attend a meeting in a bit with some donors about funding some renovations for the school library." Tsunade winked at Sakura before taking a shot of pure whiskey. Cringing, Sakura nodded as she grabbed the papers from Tsunade's desk and walked over to the copier in the west wing of the main office to photocopy the budget analysis for the school's fiscal year. As she copied the papers with the clunky photocopier (that Sakura nearly pleaded for Tsunade to replace), a bizarre thought entered Sakura's head:

What if Naruto was _pretending_ to only be her friend again because he felt bad for her?

Sakura clenched her fists against her sides as the photocopier hummed loudly, as if telling Sakura it was done. The green-eyed office aide tried to push away these rough thoughts, but her mind kept on thrusting them back at her.

What if Sasuke would have come back if Ino were to have gone to him? What if Hinata thought Sakura was annoying but was too nice to say anything? What if Shikamaru thought Sakura was the dumbest student in the class?

"Stop." Sakura pleaded silently to her rambunctious thoughts, unable to take anymore. As she walked, she nearly walked back into Tsunade's office until she realized that she had to drop the papers back onto Danzo's desk.

Gingerly twisting the doorknob, Sakura entered the darkened office. Unlike Tsunade's bright office with a border of windows spraying light across the room, Danzo's was designed to replicate a dungeon. It was dark, and all the windows had been covered with Danzo's former election posters (from when he had run for school board, but ultimately dropped out of the race for undisclosed reasons). Sakura personally felt as if she could become frozen if she stayed far too long in this room.

Dropping the report on Danzo's desk, Sakura was about to leave when a folded note stuffed under the desk calendar. Normally, Sakura wasn't nosey, but something caught her attention: the note had a shimmering paper clip attached to it and a glossy underside of a photo creeping out from it.

Looking around, as if Danzo had set up security cameras in his office (something Sakura wouldn't have been surprised to see), Sakura quietly grabbed the note and furrowed her brow instantly.

"Danzo," Sakura read to herself, "In case you haven't already, you need to get rid of those files. He may be getting closer to the truth. We made an agreement, and I need to see that it is met. I did what you asked of me, and now I return the favor with my own request: Destroy any evidence." Blinking for a moment at the unsigned note, Sakura hesitated before turning over the glossy photo underside. As if expecting to see a face, a corpse, or something dark, Sakura was pleasantly surprised and somewhat disappointed to see a picture of a mansion. It looked somewhat familiar, but Sakura couldn't place her finger on it. It was a large manor, with tall spires and a looming structure. From the trees surrounding it, Sakura knew it was in Konoha, and she _knew_ she had seen it before, but she couldn't exactly tell from when. There was something that did catalyze a memory, however: a shrine near the background of the manor.

Although Sakura couldn't see the shrine clearly, she noticed the forefront of it that was guarded by a tall, wooden structure. At the top of the structure was a rectangular wooden bar, and then two long wooden columns supported it. In between these two long wooden columns was a another rectangular bar. Beneath the two rectangular bars was a golden plate with a very familiar structure on it: a red and white fan!

"This must be the Naka Shrine," Sakura recalled immediately, "the Uchiha family ancestral shrine." Sakura remembered Sasuke had muttered something about it years ago when Naruto made fun of the weird wooden impasse, but now it only intensified Sakura's curiosity. Who had sent Danzo this note, and why was the Naka Shrine in the background of this seemingly random photo.

From the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed the main office door opening. Scrambling to put the note back where she found it, Sakura walked out of the office only to run into a tall, pale boy with ironed black hair: Sai.

Sai was Sakura to Danzo; a protégé, and an assistant. Sakura never truly appreciated Sai, especially when they were younger and Sai would call her ugly (and he found Ino to be marvelous). When his stoic face saw her walk out of Danzo's office, he simply walked up to her and grabbed her shoulder somewhat roughly.

"What are you doing?" Sai asked calmly, although Sakura knew better than to fall in the lull sense of security of talking to Sai. Gulping slightly, Sakura pushed off Sai's hold on her and smiled as sweetly as she could.

"Tsunade wanted me to deliver a report on Danzo's desk." Sakura answered before walking away. She could feel Sai's eyes boring onto her back, but Sakura tried to nudge away the feelings.

All she knew was that she must have stumbled onto a secret that was not hers to know.

* * *

When Sakura returned home, she noticed a call from Shizune. Asking if Sakura could come onto the hotline and deal with long queue of people, Shizune begged for Sakura to come onto the hotline. Although Sakura was wary (especially after the incident with the girl who probably was dead), Sakura decided to stop being so afraid and signed onto the hotline. Surprisingly, there were eleven callers on the queue and all the current volunteers for currently in conversation.

Taking a random call, Sakura waited for the caller to initiate the conversation. Once they agreed to the conversation, the main chat opened and Sakura was greeted to a message:

**Blossom328:** Hello, how may I help you?

**Anonymous:** I don't know why I'm on here.

Blinking slightly, Sakura shrugged. At least this caller wasn't threatening to end their life, so the situation was already better than it was in the previous session.

**Blossom328:** Before we go any further I would like to check in about some safety and privacy concerns.

Would that be alright?

**Anonymous:** Hn.

Sakura almost wanted to laugh. Only _one_ caller she knew would answer a question with those two damn letters. It was her first caller from her first session: the one obsessed with revenge and power.

**Blossom328:** Alright. Just in case you get disconnected for any reason, I encourage you to go back to the waiting room to be reconnected. First, are you in a safe place right now?

**Anonymous:** Hn.

**Blossom328:** Alright. Do you have any questions or concerns about computer safety or privacy issues? If you are worried that someone may be monitoring your computer use, I suggest you find a safer computer or use the phone instead.

**Anonymous:** No. I've been here before.

**Blossom328:** Thank you for reviewing this safety and privacy information. If you have other questions or

concerns please let me know at any time. You mentioned that you didn't know why you were even on this website?

**Anonymous:** You're the same caller who I've talked to before.

**Blossom328:** Is that so? Alright then. I hope I can help you today.

**Anonymous:** Whatever. I just don't know what to do. It's stupid and foolish, but I got into a lot of trouble. Luckily, I'm rich and bought my way out of trouble.

**Blossom328:** Okay.

**Anonymous:** But I just feel so enveloped in this taste for revenge. No one knows what it feels like to have to constantly prove yourself to someone who doesn't care anymore, even though you can constantly hear their voice pounding in your cerebrum.

Sakura took a deep breath. She could identify with this caller in more ways than she cared to admit.

**Blossom328:** I remember I suggested that you keep a journal. Have you been doing that?

**Anonymous:** Yes. It's a dumb idea, but it's helped a bit.

**Blossom328:** Good!

**Anonymous:** I have a question. If you were in a situation where you were at the cusp of either going downhill with no ability to stop in that path, or you could go back a loser and a failure, which would you pick?

Sakura drummed the cleft for her chin for a moment as she considered this somewhat odd question. Personally, she felt like a loser and a failure as she spoke to this caller, but she supposed she would not want to be locked onto this one path with no way out of it.

**Blossom328:** I would talk to my friends.

It wasn't a complete lie when Sakura thought about it. Although she was somewhat lying because of that one winter morning where she encountered Sasuke right as she wanted to kill herself, Sakura was suddenly feeling more attached to people. It was a fast feeling, but Sakura remembered calling Naruto when she felt so upset by that one triggering call. Even though she was still wary of the blond, she appreciated his comfort.

**Anonymous:** I don't have any friends.

**Blossom328:** What about your foster siblings? I'm sure that sister who likes your sweaty shirt will be more than glad to help you.

Biting her lip, Sakura wondered if she went too far. She didn't want to come across as a creeper who remembered odd facts about callers.

**Anonymous:** She's annoying. All my foster siblings are useless and annoying.

**Blossom328:** You don't have any friends from school?

**Anonymous:** I dropped out of school last year. No need for it since I'm already a genius.

Sakura scoffed at the audacity of the caller.

**Anonymous:** I had some "friends" but I wouldn't consider them anything more than just partners for school. We talked a bit, but that was it.

**Blossom328:** Did you like hanging out with them? Were they responsive to your needs? Did they listen to you?

**Anonymous:** I guess. Maybe.

"Wow, they must be an ignorant douche who doesn't even pay attention to their friends." Sakura rolled her eyes. The caller seemed so aloof about the concept of friendship and companionship. It nearly reminded her of a certain someone she knew.

**Blossom328:** Perhaps you could consider reconnecting with them? At the very least, it could help you decide whether to go down that hill.

There was some wait until the Anonymous caller responded. Sakura was curious to see what they had.

**Anonymous:** I don't care for them.

**Blossom328:** At the risk of sounding rude, I've noticed that you keep walls around yourself. Forgive me, but isn't that counterintuitive? You should try and open up a bit more. I guess it's natural to feel afraid, but you might realize that you feel stronger.

Mentally berating herself for indirectly talking about her own problems, Sakura did shortly consider her own advice. Would Hinata look at her with disgust if she knew the demons that lurked in Sakura's mind? To Sakura's surprise, Naruto treated her well after hearing her break down.

"Then again, he doesn't know exactly how I felt." Sakura mumbled, wondering if she would see Naruto sneering at her if she were to open up again.

**Anonymous:** I'll try that. I have to go. Bye.

_Anonymous has disconnected_.

Like their similar abrupt conversations, Sakura was not surprised to see the Anonymous caller leave so soon. It almost made Sakura wonder who was this caller?

Sakura, in her AP Statistics class, had learned one important rule: correlation does not equal causation. Yet, as Sakura stared at the dashboard of the suicide hotline, it made Sakura wonder if this caller was the reason for her slight propulsion. After _so long_, she had opened up a bit to Naruto. After _so long_, she took a courageous step and met Sasuke in prison.

"I doubt it." Sakura quickly shut her laptop, huddling her knees to her chest. "They're just a depressed caller who just happens to constantly get me as their helper."

* * *

The next day at school, Sakura walked in beside Hinata. The rosette and the brunette made their way to their nearby lockers, whispering the entire time as they walked through crowds of students.

"So Naruto actually _called_ you to ask you a question on the homework assignment?" Sakura asked, somewhat astonished. As she reached her cold locker, she dialed in her code.

"Y-Yeah. I was somewhat taken aback too." Hinata murmured, holding her books against her chest as she leaned back on a locker beside Sakura's.

"Did he just want the answers or something?" Sakura snorted, withdrawing a book from the upper crevice. Hinata mumbled something inaudibly for a moment before shaking her head fervently.

"H-He actually wanted to go over his answers with mine." Hinata whispered. Sakura nearly dropped her books and stared at the shy girl. Naruto had _completed_ his homework and actually wanted to check for _accuracy_?!

"Okay, at the risk of sounding like a complete bitch, where was this smart and hardworking Naruto? Well, I suppose he was always hard working, but his first idea for our science project was to see how far eggs could be thrown at speeding cars." Sakura leaned back against her locker with Hinata, looking at the bustling hallway.

"I completely understand. Even more surprisingly," Hinata cleared her throat as she noticed a familiar trio making their way down the hallway, "was that his answers were correct. He even corrected me on one of them."

Before Sakura could reply, there was frigid burst of air as Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji made their way around the hallway. In Ino's hand was her heavy handbag which swung back and forth as she walked. Although Sakura didn't notice it until Hinata poked her and whispered about it in her ear, there was a heavy blotch of make-up where the shiny, black bruise was supposed to be. Sakura had nearly forgotten about her unfortunate meeting with Ino that weekend.

"Forehead freak, Neji's cousin," Ino stopped in front of the two girls. She leaned her weight on one foot and eyed the two girls from head to toe. Brushing back a loose strand of platinum blonde hair, Ino withdrew two envelopes from her purse.

"I don't know what kind of sick, freaky voodoo magic you two dykes are doing, but Naruto ordered me to invite you two to my Snowflake Soiree. Um, you don't actually have to come, but here." Ino thrust the two enveloped toward Sakura and Hinata. Unsurprisingly, in gold tinted cursive was a name on each envelope. Sakura's read "Forehead Freak" while Hinata's read "Neji's Cousin."

"Um, thanks." Sakura muttered, tilting her head forward. Hinata murmured an affirmation as well as Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino left Sakura and walked into their biology class.

Once again, Sakura was interrupted by her phone vibrating. Ignoring it, Sakura turned to Hinata and whispered in a low voice.

"Why did we just get invited to Ino's annual winter ball?" Sakura questioned her fate as she stuffed the envelope into her bag, not necessarily caring if it got messed up or not. Hinata gracefully slipped her invitation into her bag.

"W-Well, perhaps Naruto wanted us to come? I-I can ask Neji to see if he's coming. He can take us." Hinata whispered. Sakura shrugged, unsure if she was actually going to go or not.

"SAKURA!" A loud bellow filled the hallway. Sakura nearly fell forward as she turned around and noticed Naruto Uzumaki, clad in his soccer gear, sprinting toward Sakura and Hinata with his cell phone brightly lit in his hand.

"Hey Hinata," Naruto panted quickly before facing Sakura, "Sakura, did you get it too?" Sakura arched her eyebrow as she looked the phone in Naruto's palm. Reaching into her bag, Sakura pulled out her phone which read that she had an unread text message.

"I-Is that…" Hinata gasped as she peeked over Sakura's shoulder.

"Hey. I want to meet tonight at 8 PM at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop. Just the 3 of us. I'll pay. Thanks." Sakura took a deep breath before she finished reading the text message aloud. "Sasuke." Naruto's electric blue eyes and Sakura's apple green eyes were filled with shock, anguish, worry, and a guilty flavor of suppressed relief and joy.


End file.
